Researchers from four different Polish universities and institutions have carried out research on the use of the water extracts of five flowers as bioactive, natural dyes for cosmetics.
Extracts from Papaver rhoeas, Punica granatum, Clitoria ternatea, Carthamus tinctorius and Gomphrena globosa were tested for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects by determining the ability to inhibit the activity of lipoxygenase and proteinase. Further tests were made of cytotoxic effect on skin cells, using Alamar Blue and Neutral Red tests, and of their ability to inhibit the activity of enzymes responsible for the destruction of elastin and collagen.
P. rhoeas extract showed the strongest antioxidant properties, with IC50 values of 24.8±0.42 and 47.5±1.01 µg/mL in the ABTS and DPPH tests, respectively. The plants also have an anti-inflammatory property, for which the ability to inhibit lipoxygenase at a level above 80% and proteinase at about 55% was noted. P. rhoeas, C. ternatea and C. tinctorius show the strongest colouring ability and can permanently dye cosmetic products without significant colour changes during storage.
The paper, entitled ‘Flower extracts as multi-functional dyes in the cosmetics industry’ was published in Molecules in January.
