Abstract

The avocado peel is an agro-industrial by-product that has exhibited a massive increase in its production in the last few years. The reuse and valorisation of this by-product are essential since its disposal raises environmental concerns. In the present study, ethanolic extracts of avocado peels of the Hass variety were obtained, for three extraction times (1.5 h, 3 h and 4 h) and analysed for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Antioxidant evaluations of the extracts revealed that the extraction time of 1.5 h exhibited the best results amongst the three, with a DPPH inhibition percentage of 93.92 ± 1.29 and an IC50 percentage, the necessary concentration of the extract to inhibit 50% of DPPH, of 37.30 ± 1.00. The antibacterial capacity of the extracts was evaluated and it was revealed that they were able to inhibit the growth and development of bacteria of the Staphylococcus family. The obtained extract was incorporated in two types of cosmetic formulations (oil-in-water and water-in-oil) and their stability was evaluated and compared with formulations containing synthetic preservatives (BHT and phenoxyethanol). The results of the stability evaluation suggest that the avocado peel extract has the potential to be incorporated in both types of emulsions, acting as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent, proving it to be a viable option to reduce/replace the use of synthetic preservatives. Furthermore, the avocado peel extract proved to be more effective and stable in oil-in-water emulsions. These results highlight the possibility of obtaining sustainable cosmetics, significantly reducing the negative impacts on the environment by the incorporation of extracts sourced from the avocado peel, an interesting source of phenolic compounds, an abundant and low-cost by-product.

Highlights

  • IntroductionPersonal appearance is a requirement of great importance in all segments, leading the current population to valorise more their appearance and to look for the correct tools to create the allusion of the perfect appearance imposed by society

  • Thereby, the purpose of this study was to incorporate avocado peel extracts into two different formulations (W/O and O/W emulsions), evaluate how they affect the performance of these formulations in terms of physicochemical and sensorial characteristics, as well as assess the possibility of the extracts to be used as natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents, allowing for the development of value-added cosmetics

  • The extracts exhibited antioxidant capacity by the DPPH method, with the highest antioxidant potential verified for the 1.5 h extraction time

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Summary

Introduction

Personal appearance is a requirement of great importance in all segments, leading the current population to valorise more their appearance and to look for the correct tools to create the allusion of the perfect appearance imposed by society. Healthy-looking skin means skin that does not evidence exposure to degenerative effects, which contributes to a person being recognised as “beautiful” [1,2]. Skin is the largest organ in the human body, and it is constantly exposed to outer environmental conditions, such as pollution, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, that can lead to extrinsic aging processes [3]. These processes are related to the emergence of wrinkles, skin dryness, loss of elasticity, and a rough-textured appearance due to the reduction of collagen, and hyaluronic acid, as well as the oxidation of certain molecules

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