Microbial Biosurfactants as Key Multifunctional Ingredients for Sustainable Cosmetics

Abstract

A polar head and an apolar tail chemically characterize surfactants, they show different properties and are categorized by different factors such as head charge and molecular weight. They work by reducing the surface tension between oil and water phases to facilitate the formation of one homogeneous mixture. In this respect, they represent unavoidable ingredients, their main application is in the production of detergents, one of if not the most important categories of cosmetics. Their role is very important, it should be remembered that it was precisely soaps and hygiene that defeated the main infectious diseases at the beginning of the last century. Due to their positive environmental impact, the potential uses of microbial sourced surfactants are actively investigated. These compounds are produced with different mechanisms by microorganisms in the aims to defend themselves from external threats, to improve the mobility in the environment, etc. In the cosmetic field, biosurfactants, restricted in the present work to those described above, can carry high advantages, in comparison to traditional surfactants, especially in the field of sustainable and safer approaches. Besiede this, costs still remain an obsatcle to their diffusion; in this regard, exploration of possible multifunctional actions could help to contain application costs. To highlight their features and possible multifunctional role, on the light of specific biological profiles yet underestimated, we have approached the present review work.

Phylogenomic analysis of the genus Leuconostoc

“…As a result of common evolution, the strains belonging to the same species share genetic features and thus biological properties. Species delimitations constitute an important challenge in biodiversity studies, mostly for genera such as Leuconostoc that have an important role in several industrial and food fermentation processes (Buckenhüskes, 1993 ; Caplice and Fitzgerald, 1999 ; Steinkraus, 2002 ), to produce fermented sausages, fermented vegetables and cereals, and dairy products (e.g., butter, cream, fresh and raw milk, cheeses), and to obtain novel ingredients for cosmeceutical formulations (Ahmadi-Ashtiani et al, 2020 ).…”

“…The genus is considered safe products and has been accorded the status of “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) (Ogier et al, 2008 ). Fermentation of suitable substrates has attracted attention in recent years to produce antimicrobial extracts (Venegas-Ortega et al, 2019 ; Ahmadi-Ashtiani et al, 2020 ; Costa et al, 2021 ). Strains of Leuconostoc spp.…”

“…Moreover, bioactive extracts obtained from vegetables fermented with Leuconostoc spp. found application in the formulation of innovative cosmetics (INCI Name: Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate) (Ahmadi-Ashtiani et al, 2020 ).…”

Microbial Biosurfactants in Cosmetic and Personal Skincare Pharmaceutical Formulations

“…It must be pointed out that biosurfactants will only be used as substitutes for chemical surfactants in cosmetic and personal care products if they are able to deliver equal or better performance in their formulations and have a market price that makes them attractive. However, large-scale production and limited structural variability of microbial biosurfactants (e.g., MELs) still remains a problem, although a few have been successfully commercialized (e.g., sophorolipids and rhamnolipids) [ 152 , 153 ]. Nevertheless, genomic sequencing, metabolic engineering and the use of microbial enzymes, are emerging alternatives to optimizing yield and structural variability of biosurfactants.…”

Production of spiculisporic acid by Talaromyces trachyspermus in fed-batch bioreactor culture

“…For the same reason, surfactants made from natural resources using biotechnology, known as biosurfactants, are being focused on to replace synthetics derived from petroleum. Biosurfactants produced by the metabolism of organisms are characterized by low toxicity, bioavailability, biodegradability, high effervescence, and environmental friendliness, and can be widely used in foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, etc (Ahmadi-Ashtiani et al 2020). These have been developed and used as multifunctional agents, such as stabilizers, wetting agents, anti-bacterial agents, humectants, emulsi ers, and anti-adhesion agents (Banat et al 2000;Vijayakumar and Saravanan 2015).…”