Abstract
The cosmetic industry is among the fastest growing industries in the last decade. As the beauty concepts have been revolutionized, many terms have been coined to accompany the innovation of this industry, since the beauty products are not just confined to those that are applied to protect and enhance the appearance of the human body. Consequently, the terms such as cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics have emerged to give a notion of the health benefits of the products that create the beauty from inside to outside. In the past years, natural products-based cosmeceuticals have gained a huge amount of attention not only from researchers but also from the public due to the general belief that they are harmless. Notably, in recent years, the demand for cosmeceuticals from the marine resources has been exponentially on the rise due to their unique chemical and biological properties that are not found in terrestrial resources. Therefore, the present review addresses the importance of marine-derived compounds, stressing new chemical entities with cosmeceutical potential from the marine natural resources and their mechanisms of action by which these compounds exert on the body functions as well as their related health benefits. Marine environments are the most important reservoir of biodiversity that provide biologically active substances whose potential is still to be discovered for application as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. Marine organisms are not only an important renewable source of valuable bulk compounds used in cosmetic industry such as agar and carrageenan, which are used as gelling and thickening agents to increase the viscosity of cosmetic formulations, but also of small molecules such as ectoine (to promote skin hydration), trichodin A (to prevent product alteration caused by microbial contamination), and mytiloxanthin (as a coloring agent). Marine-derived molecules can also function as active ingredients, being the main compounds that determine the function of cosmeceuticals such as anti-tyrosinase (kojic acid), antiacne (sargafuran), whitening (chrysophanol), UV protection (scytonemin, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs)), antioxidants, and anti-wrinkle (astaxanthin and PUFAs).
Highlights
The European Commission (EC) regulation No.1223/2009 defines cosmetics as “products intended to be applied to the external parts of the human body such as epidermis, hair, nails, lips and externalMolecules 2020, 25, 2536; doi:10.3390/molecules25112536 www.mdpi.com/journal/moleculesMolecules 2020, 25, 2536 genital organs, or teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with the exclusive or principal objective to clean, perfume, protect or change their appearance or keep them in good conditions” [1].cosmetics are not intended to affect the structure and function of the body, there are many requirements for cosmetics, including safety, lack of side effects, and their ability to show positive effects on well-being [2]
The influence of the social media to inform the population and an effective dissemination of scientific research have raised the awareness of the risk of using many chemicals in drugs and cosmetics as well as health benefits of compounds obtained from natural resources
For an alternative to the “green technology”, marine or “blue biotechnology” is gaining its turf by providing a myriad of natural products that cannot be found in terrestrial environments and with unprecedented biological and pharmacological properties
Summary
The European Commission (EC) regulation No.1223/2009 defines cosmetics as “products intended to be applied to the external parts of the human body such as epidermis, hair, nails, lips and external. Nutricosmetics are characterized as natural health products with a capacity to improve the function and appearance of the skin, hair, and nails when ingested. Cosmeceuticals comprise active ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, enzymes, which exist in various types of formulations such as creams, lotions, and ointments [5] These natural bioactive substances can derive from diverse sources such as terrestrial plants, microorganisms, and marine organisms. These substances can have a myriad of functional roles including those with beneficial effects on human health [5], which can promote healthy skin, hair, and nails at cellular levels [6]. Marine flora and fauna produce chemically unique biomolecules not found in terrestrial resources and can be grown rapidly in large quantities and cost effective by modern aquaculture techniques [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
