Converting cork by-products to ecofriendly cork bioactive ingredients: Novel pharmaceutical and cosmetics applications

Abstract

Quercus suber forests are very important, both economically and ecologically, in countries from the Mediterranean basin. Quercus suber bark or cork is obtained from the outer bark of this tree and it is the base of many commercial and profitable products. The industry around cork extraction and transformation leads to the production of considerable amounts of by-products, some of them considered as waste. Cork and its by-products can be an important source of multiple bioactive components, such as phenolic acids, terpenoids and tannins. These natural products present a wide variety of relevant properties, namely antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiaging, radical scavenger and depigmenting activity. Thus, cork and its by-products can be reused as promising ingredients in topical products. They may be used in different pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, such as skin ageing prevention and skin depigmenting activity or as complements in acne treatment and skin inflammatory processes. The heterogeneity of its chemical composition and its extraordinary properties make cork a material with a lot of potential and considerable importance. Reusing and valorising cork by-products in the cosmetic field fits with the current sustainable perspective. In this literature review, the different cork by-products and their bioactive compounds are presented and the promising application of these wastes as cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients is analysed.