Abstract
This article includes an updated review of the classification, uses and side effects of surfactants for their application in the cosmetic, personal care and pharmaceutical industries. Based on their origin and composition, surfactants can be divided into three different categories: (i) synthetic surfactants; (ii) bio-based surfactants; and (iii) microbial biosurfactants. The first group is the most widespread and cost-effective. It is composed of surfactants, which are synthetically produced, using non-renewable sources, with a final structure that is different from the natural components of living cells. The second category comprises surfactants of intermediate biocompatibility, usually produced by chemical synthesis but integrating fats, sugars or amino acids obtained from renewable sources into their structure. Finally, the third group of surfactants, designated as microbial biosurfactants, are considered the most biocompatible and eco-friendly, as they are produced by living cells, mostly bacteria and yeasts, without the intermediation of organic synthesis. Based on the information included in this review it would be interesting for cosmetic, personal care and pharmaceutical industries to consider microbial biosurfactants as a group apart from surfactants, needing specific regulations, as they are less toxic and more biocompatible than chemical surfactants having formulations that are more biocompatible and greener.
Highlights
To chemically synthesized and bio-based surfactants, which are classified according to the nature of their polar group, microbial biosurfactants can be classified based on the chemical nature, on the ionic charge and on the producer microorganism [24], usually microbial biosurfactants are classified according to their polymeric composition in four main categories: (i) glycolipids; (ii) lipopeptides and lipoproteins; (iii) glycopeptides and glycolipopeptides, and (iv) bioemulsifiers with biosurfactant capacity [1]
Glycolipopeptides produced by Lactobacillus strains could be introduced in the cosmetic and personal care industry as a detergent and as prebiotic ingredients as they are produced by probiotic bacteria and inhibit the growth of harmful skin microorganisms [14,96]
Rodríguez-López et al [98] have studied the irritant effect of microbial biosurfactants in comparison to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at the same concentration (1 g/L), observing that SDS produced the lysis of the small vessel in chorionallantoic membrane (CAM) of the hen’s egg, whereas no side effects were observed by the glycolipopeptide microbial biosurfactant produced by L. pentosus or by the microbial biosurfactant extract composed of lipopeptides obtained from a residual stream of the corn milling industry, spontaneously fermented by Bacillus strains
Summary
Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds that contain a tail, which is insoluble in water, presenting hydrophobic groups and a water-soluble head with hydrophilic groups [1,2]. Surfactants can be classified from different points of view [2], as there is currently no official categorization They are classified depending on their ionic charge, this classification can only be applied to synthetic and bio-based surfactants since the charge of most surfactants produced by living cells is still unknown. Some microorganisms produce polymeric and particulate substances (named viscosin or emulsan) with surfactant capacity, their main property is as an emulsifier [24] These groups of substances have similar properties to phospholipids and, they should be included in the same group. The aim of this review is based on the study of similarities and differences in the classification, uses and side effects between synthetic and bio-based surfactants in comparison with microbial biosurfactants for cosmetic, personal care and pharmaceutical applications
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