Abstract
Recently, the global trend toward the use of natural extracts and antioxidant agents in the cosmetic cream industry to produce whitening effects has been increasing. This has also been a persistent trend in Thailand. In this study, samples of commercial cosmetic creams on the Thai market were assessed for a functional evaluation of their antioxidant activity, tyrosinase inhibitory effects, and phenolic contents. Samples were extracted using hot water and sonication extraction method to obtain the functional cream extracts. Total phenolic contents in all samples were within the range of 0.46–47.92 mg GAE/30 g cream. Antioxidant activities of the cream extracts were within the range of 3.61–43.98 mg Trolox equivalent/30 g cream, while tyrosinase inhibition activities were within the range of 2.58–97.94% of inhibition. With regard to the relationship between the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of the cosmetic creams, Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed a moderately positive relationship with an r value of 0.6108. Furthermore, the relationship between the antioxidant activity and the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the cosmetic creams was highly positive with an r value of 0.7238. Overall, this study demonstrated that the total phenolic contents in the functional cosmetic creams could play a role in antioxidant activity and anti-tyrosinase activities. The findings indicate how the whitening and antioxidant effects of cosmetic creams could be maintained after the products have been formulated, as this concern can affect the consumer’s decision when purchasing cosmetic products.
Highlights
During the first decade of the 21st century, cosmetic product sales underwent fairly significant growth and represented 23% of the overall market share of consumer products
This study revealed important information regarding the total phenolic contents that could be indicative of the skin whitening and antioxidant effects of the studied products
The findings of this study could shed light on how these products can maintain their stability by detecting the phenolic contents after a product has been formulated as well as their bioactivities
Summary
During the first decade of the 21st century, cosmetic product sales underwent fairly significant growth and represented 23% of the overall market share of consumer products. This growth was driven primarily by the Asian market [1,2]. Among these cosmetic products, the facial and skincare market has accounted for two thirds of total cosmetic sales. Consumer demand continues to increase for the innovative uses of natural compounds to treat skin aging manifestations including wrinkles, sagging skin, skin texture changes, and hyperpigmentation [7,8,9,10]. The treatment of human dermal fibroblasts with Epilobium angustifolium polyphenol extract resulted in a downregulation of the UV-induced release of MMP-1 and MMP-3, along with hyaluronidase gene expressions [19]
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