Plant Flavonoids as Potential Natural Antioxidants in Phytocosmetics

Abstract

Phytocosmetics, the sub-discipline of cosmetology which primarily uses plant and plant extracts in beauty treatments, has been endorsed for thousands of years. After a period of time being pushed aside by an enormous wave of interest in synthetic products, phytocosmetics is slowly but surely returning to its propitious moment. Botanical compounds, among which flavonoids are highlighted, are being recognized for their biological activities – namely antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and photoprotective activities. The purpose of this paper is to review updates in the extensive research into the potential of flavonoids in cosmetic applications, in order to demonstrate the newest achievement and encourage more interest into the field. A literature search was performed in PubMed in February and March 2022 with key terms including “phytocosmetics”, “flavonoids” and “antioxidant”. To keep the search topical, the publication years were limited to after 2010. The results were screened with the exclusion criteria of duplicate papers, irrelevant research, and non-English articles. The antioxidant activity of flavonoids have been widely established in a variety of plant sources. Their potential in cosmetics is also evident and has been attributed to their chemical structures, with their biological mechanisms starting to be better understood. In conclusion, flavonoids have been shown to be a viable alternative to synthetic antioxidants for cosmetic applications. However, there is still a need to evaluate effective delivery aids and formulations.