Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Bubble Belly Massage Oil and their Crude Ingredients

Abstract

Bubble Belly massage oil is popular among Malaysians since its commercialization in 2018. The massage oil contains lemon oil, vitamin E oil, aloe vera oil, eucalyptus oil, ginger oil, black pepper, fenugreek, Caesalpinia sappan, Usnea barbata, and Helicteres isora. The massage oil is believed to reduce weight, cellulite, menstrual pain, body ache, and scar appearances. The study evaluated oil and its crude ingredients for antioxidant activity using DPPH and ABTS assays, antibacterial activity was evaluated by using disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. The crude ingredients soaked in the massage oil were dried and underwent aqueous extraction. Phenols, tannins, and quinones were detected qualitatively in the samples. Highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging of 73.1% at 0.78% (v/v), and 98.2% at 12.5% (v/v), respectively were shown by the oil. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Enterococcus faecalis were susceptible to the oil at 100% (v/v) with a zone of inhibition of 15.0 mm, 14.0 mm, 12.0 mm, 9.0 mm, and 14.0 mm, respectively. All the tested bacteria were resistant to the crude ingredients. The MIC values against B. cereus, MRSA, K. pneumonia, and E. coli treated with oil were in the range of 0.39 to 0.78% (v/v). Both the crude ingredients and oil showed MBC values of 12.5 mg/mL and 0.39% against B. cereus and MRSA, respectively. In a nutshell, the massage oil showed significant inhibitory and radical scavenging activities and thus is potential as an antibacterial and antioxidant agent.