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EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF AN ANTI-ACNE CREAM CONTAINING HERBAL EXTRACTS

MIRELA MOLDOVAN¹, CĂTĂLINA BOGDAN^1*, IOANA URSU¹, MIHAELA ILEANA IONESCU², MARIA CRIȘAN³

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The main objectives of the present study were to formulate and to evaluate an anti-acne cream based on alcoholic extracts of Thymus vulgaris, Rosa centifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis and Saponaria officinalis and to evaluate the efficacy and the sensorial characteristics of the emulsion. Firstly, the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the herbal extract was evaluated by agar-well diffusing method. Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12602, Escherichia coli ATCC 29998 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 were selected as test microorganisms. In the second part of the study, the efficacy of an oil-in-water cream containing ethanolic extracts and non-comedogenic ingredients was established in a prospective non-randomized study on twelve volunteers using the cosmetic product twice daily. The activity of sebaceous glands on the mid forehead, cheeks and chin was assessed by measuring the sebum level with the Sebumeter® device (Courage Khazaka). The subjective characteristics of the cream base were evaluated by the volunteers, following a 1 to 10 scale and reported by filling an evaluation questionnaire. The obtained results were statistically significant and revealed the efficacy of the tested cream, which reduced the seborrhoea after 4 weeks of cream application. The product was well tolerated and appreciated by the volunteers regarding its spreadability, penetration ability and lack of stickiness.