Abstract
Introduction: Zeolites are natural or synthetic aluminosilicates, characterized by a regular and microporous crystalline structure that plays a particularly active role in neutralizing free radicals, screening UV rays and in the adsorption of toxins and heavy metals. Skin is one of the main areas for the accumulation of toxic substances released by environmental pollutants. The biological scavenger activity of zeolite opens a wide spectrum of applications in cosmetics and dermatology. Up to now, there is little evidence related to the use of natural zeolite in cosmetics. Aim: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the ability of zeolite to retain heavy metals in a new skin care formulation, in order to provide a proof of principle of its employment in the field of cosmetics. Materials and Methods: Taking the advantages of spiked samples, we studied the in vitro adsorption properties of zeolite in a new skin care formulation. The removal capacities of Cadmium, Lead, Chromium, Nickel and Cobalt were studied, using the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). First of all, the better concentration of zeolite was defined, testing two different proportions of zeolite, from 1% to 3%, keeping all other components constant. Then, on the 3% formulation, the adsorption properties of each single metal were measured. Results and Conclusions: Our preliminary study demonstrated the selectivity of zeolite in retaining Cadmium (p < 0.0001), Nickel (p = 0.026), in a 3% zeolite-based formulation. This work provides a proof of principle of zeolite employment in the field of cosmetics. Based on the data collected, our work provides a scientific proof of principle of zeolite employment in the field of cosmetics. New and extensive research will be needed to explore all the potential benefits of zeolite.
Highlights
Zeolites are natural or synthetic aluminosilicates, characterized by a regular and microporous crystalline structure that plays a active role in neutralizing free radicals, screening UV rays and in the adsorption of toxins and heavy metals
The purpose of this work was to evaluate the ability of zeolite to retain heavy metals in a new skin care formulation, in order to provide a proof of principle for its employment in the field of cosmetics
The main objective of these tests was to estimate if the heavy metal adsorption capacity of zeolite in cream was proportional to its quantity
Summary
Zeolites are natural or synthetic aluminosilicates, characterized by a regular and microporous crystalline structure that plays a active role in neutralizing free radicals, screening UV rays and in the adsorption of toxins and heavy metals. Nanoporous materials are a class of inorganic molecules that have recently become an interesting subject in different areas of chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic research [1,2,3,4] Among these materials, zeolites, are natural or synthetic crystalline aluminosilicates, with open 3D framework structures [1,4]. Zeolites are basically cation exchangers by a chemical-physical process, where the cation in the crystalline structure is exchanged with the solution ions of similar size and electro-static properties [6,7] Considering their peculiar structure, zeolites exhibit a great number of interesting biological activities, acting as ‘molecular sieves’ [3,4,8,9]. Zeolite has excellent properties of absorption, radiation protection, decontamination, detoxification in the human body, and has the advantage of introducing, by ion exchange, minerals essential for life [1,10]
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