Fitocosméticos: uso de derivados vegetais de plantas do Cerrado em formulações cosméticas

Abstract

The search for new assets from Brazilian biodiversity has received worldwide attention from the cosmetics industries. This interest is due to the fact that Brazil has one of the richest flora in the world, such as the Cerrado, playing an important role as a source of bioactive natural products. Many metabolites produced by Cerrado plants have antioxidant action, used in cosmetics as a good alternative for preventing and treating

premature aging, providing photoprotection and helping to treat sensitive or sun- damaged skin. The objective of this work was to describe the use of Cerrado species

in cosmetic formulations, describing bioactive characteristics of plant raw materials. This is a bibliographical review study, using “phytocosmetics”, “Cerrado”, “plant extracts”, “cosmetics”, “Mauritia flexuosa”, “Caryocar brasiliense” and “Annona crassiflora” as search terms, in Portuguese and English, for articles published between 2007 and 2023. 15 studies were included that described cosmetic formulations containing plant results from the plants Mauritia flexuosa (n=8), Caryocar brasiliense (n=5) and Annona crassiflora (n=2). Formulations containing Mauritia flexuosa were creams, soaps, serums and emulsions; These formulations have antioxidant action and low photoprotective action. The formulations containing plant matter from Caryocar brasiliense were creams, soaps and emulsions. In them, the high antioxidant potential of the fruit, anti-aging action, and average sun protection were observed. The emulsion and gel containing Annona crassiflora extract showed limited antimicrobial activity and anti-aging activity. Overall, the formulations evaluated showed beneficial and safe results for use. In conclusion, this study shows the importance of Cerrado species and their possible applications in cosmetics, highlighting their biological properties and ability to prevent and treat premature aging, being an effective and sustainable alternative for photoprotection and skin care.