Ceylon cinnamon and clove essential oils as promising free radical scavengers for skin care products

Abstract

Due to adverse effects of free radicals on human skin and increasing consumer demand for natural ingredients, essential oils from basil, Ceylon cinnamon bark, clove, juniper, lavender, oregano, rosemary, tea tree, thyme, and ylang-ylang were assessed for their antiradical activity. The oils were evaluated in the concentration range of 5—0.1 mg·mL−1, in which the three reference synthetic antioxidants are most often added to mass-produced cosmetics. Among all examined samples, C. cinnamon oil at a concentration of 5 mg·mL−1 showed the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity (0.41 mg·mL−1 IC50), followed by clove oil, BHA, α-tocopherol, and BHT (0.82, 0.84, 0.88 and 0.93 mg·mL−1 IC50), respectively. At the same concentration, the reduction power of C. cinnamon oil was higher (1.64 mg·mL−1 Trolox Eq.) than that of α-tocopherol and BHT (1.42 and 0.80 mmol·L−1 Trolox Eq., respectively) but lower than that of BHA (1.81 mmol·L–1 Trolox Eq.). Antiradical activity of the other eight essential oils was low or negligible. C. cinnamon oil and clove oil are promising antiradical agents for skin care but according to our GC-MS analysis, these oils contain 0.29 % of cinnamaldehyde, 0.03 % of linalool, 0.02 % of D-limonene, and 0.02 % of eugenol or 0.41 % of eugenol and 0.002 % of linalool, respectively, which are monitored contact allergens in cosmetics. Such a product is not be suitable for consumers allergic to these substances but for the vast majority of consumers it does not pose a risk in terms of allergic manifestations.

In Vitro Evaluation of Antiprotozoal Properties, Cytotoxicity Effect and Anticancer Activity of New Essential-Oil Based Phytoncide Mixtures

“…This is a relatively low content of the head compound of cinnamon essential oil, which is in the range 65–75% [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. In the case of the tested sample, the results were comparable with those presented by Martiniaková et al The trans-cinnamaldehyde content was similar, but the other compounds were present in comparable amounts [ 47 ].…”

Tea Tree Oil: Properties and the Therapeutic Approach to Acne—A Review

“…The different chemical composition of TTO was pointed out by these authors as a possible factor in the different percentages of antioxidant activity. The low antioxidant activity of TTO, using the same detection procedure, was also reported by Martiniaková et al [136] when comparing several EOs. This work permitted the authors to conclude that Ceylon cinnamon had the highest activity followed by clove oil, therefore they could be used as natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants in cosmetic products, nevertheless, some components present in these oils can induce allergies.…”

The Use of Essential Oils in the Development of Dermato-Cosmetic Products

“…Thyme oil (Thymus vulgaris) stands out for its antioxidant and antibacterial action supported by its constituents : α-cadinene, γ-cadinene, ß-caryophyllene, ß-eudesmol, germacrene , ß-pinen, α-terpineol [13].…”