The first quantitative rating system of the antioxidant capacity of beauty creams via the Briggs–Rauscher reaction: a crucial step towards evidence-based cosmetics

Abstract

Oxidative damage is the primary cause of skin aging. Skin care products are numerous and overwhelming, yet there is certain similarity among different formulations. Moisturizers are ubiquitous and the presence of particular added ingredients supports specific marketing claims. The antioxidant effects of botanical polyphenols possess tremendous marketing appeal, because oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the skin ability to neutralize them. The concept of evidence-based cosmetics lacks a widely accepted method to estimate the antioxidant capacity of the beauty cream. This was the motive force of the present study: for the first time we put forth a quantitative rating system of skin care products. The overall antioxidant power of 75 widely used and advertised beauty creams was comparatively measured via the oscillating Briggs-Rauscher (BR) reaction. Many dermocosmetic products confirmed their ability to ensure protection against free radicals, even if differences among various creams are striking and often not correlated with the their price. The method we developed is simple and cheap and it can allow dermatologists and consumers to compare and choose effectively; on the other hand, producers can used this method to select the most active antioxidant cosmetic agent to optimise the product performance.

Psychological Stress and skin aging: A review of possible mechanisms and potential therapies

“…There is currently an abundance of research focused on skin anti-aging therapy including vitamins, resveratrol, retinoids, estrogen agonists, anti-glycation compounds, and polyphenols [166][167][168][169][170][171][172][173][174][175][176][177]. Could beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, glucocorticoid antagonists, or cholinergic modulators be added to the current list of candidates with potential for fighting skin aging?…”

Antioxidant Capacity Assays. Chemical and Cellular-based Methods

“…Thus the antioxidant capacity of extra virgin olive oil was determined [56] by first dissolving the test sample in acetone (25% solution in water) which was then subjected to analysis. It was also applied to determine the antioxidant capacity of some beauty creams [57] by analysis of an emulsion of the test sample in isopropyl alcohol (12.5% in water). The presence of acetone or isopropyl alcohol in the reaction medium does not influence the oscillation time of the BR reaction or the inhibition time due to antioxidants in the sample…”

An emerging natural antioxidant therapy for COVID‐19 infection patients: Current and future directions

“…The BR assay has not only theoretical advantages but also many practical benefits: it is easy, inexpensive, and rapid, that is why it was often used to test the antioxidant activity of a wide variety of samples (Cecchi et al, 2010b(Cecchi et al, , 2011Cervellati et al, 2004;Gajdoš Kljusurić et al, 2005;Honer & Cervellati, 2003;Prenesti et al, 2005;Y.-D. Wang et al, 2013).…”