Abstract
Hair is a complex natural fiber consisting mainly of keratin that can be divided into four main structural units, namely: cuticle, cortex, medulla, and membrane complex. The use of pigments in hair care preparations, mainly derivatives of aromatic amines, has been a topic of discussion due to toxicity and ecotoxicity concerns. In this background, Myrciaria cauliflora Berg is a native fruit occurring from northeastern to southern Brazil. Among the diversity of compounds detected in this fruit species are bioactive flavonoids and anthocyanins, which are responsible for the purple pigmentation of the fruit peels. This study reports on the use of a microencapsulated Myrciaria cauliflora Berg. peel extract as a temporary pigment to reduce the yellow tone of the hair. The extract was obtained by maceration with 70% ethanol (v/v) in an acidic milieu (6.0% citric acid). The extract was submitted to phytochemical profiling and a shampoo formulation was developed and applied onto a chemically treated hair. The preliminary characterization of the extract confirmed the presence of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, in addition to the acid/base character of the extract. When tested on discolored hair samples with a yellow tone, the Myrciaria cauliflora Berg. shampoo reduced the yellow color, which was visually perceived by the enhancement of the hair brightness. These results demonstrate the potential of M. cauliflora extract – obtained from a fruit widely found in Brazil, as a temporary pigment to be used in cosmetic hair care.
Highlights
Hair is a complex natural fiber consisting mainly of keratin that can be divided into four main structural units, namely: cuticle, cortex, medulla, and membrane complex
As anthocyanins present different structures based on the pH of the solution, the extract was submitted to differential pH analysis
In the treatment of hair with yellowish coloration, the formulation containing 10% microencapsulated ethanolic extract of M. cauliflora presented a positive result, neutralizing the yellowing process. These findings indicate the potential use of anthocyanins in shampoo formulations aimed at treating hair yellowing
Summary
Hair is a complex natural fiber consisting mainly of keratin that can be divided into four main structural units, namely: cuticle, cortex, medulla, and membrane complex. Discoloration alters the natural melanin content in the cortex of the hair fiber, causes degradation of essential amino acids, and a number of other damages, which include increased porosity of the hair fibers and loss of brightness; in addition, the hair can be naturally damaged by solar radiation Both prolonged exposure to radiation and the process of hair discoloration cause capillary oxidation, alter the melanin content and cause degradation of keratin, resulting in a yellowing hair (Peters et al 2011; Nogueira et al, 2004). The presence of free electrons in the nucleus and of free anthocyanins can be related to the antioxidant activity reported for these compounds (Baldin et al, 2016) Both in discolored and natural hair, the fiber yellowing process takes place due to oxidative reactions. As the stability and bioactivity of anthocyanins can be further increased with the use of microencapsulation technology (Baldin et al, 2016), we proposed in this pioneer study the development of a microencapsulated M. cauliflora peel extract formulation to neutralize the capillary yellow tone in discolored (with reflections, wicks and/or lights) hair
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