FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL ANTIBACTERIAL DAY CREAM USING COCOA ANTIBACTERIAL EXTRACT (COCOA-ABE) FROM Theobroma cacao FOR SKINCARE
Authors: Zainal B., Nur Farah A. R., Evva Najiha F., Ain Nadia F., Rasma Suzielawani I.
Journal Issue: Malaysian Cocoa Journal, Volume 15(1)/2023
Keywords: Antibacterial, cocoa shell extract, day cream, formulation, skincare, Theobroma cacao
Published On: 27/10/2023
Abstract
In this modern era, the cosmetics industry is committed to providing advanced skincare products by using a combination of scientific ingredients and plants to develop a safe and effective product. Theobroma cacao (T. cacao) is one of the plants that contain chemical compounds with antibacterial characteristics. This study aims to formulate and evaluate a cocoa antibacterial day cream containing cocoa shell extract of T. cacao for skin care. The methodology started with the preparation of cocoa-ABE, which was extracted with water. The cocoa-ABE extract powder of T. cacao was incorporated at varying amounts into four different oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion bases. The developed formulations (F1, F2, F3, and F4) were evaluated for physicochemical evaluation. Then, the selected formulation will be further tested for stability, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and heavy metal content. Based on the results, F4 was selected for the stability test after demonstrating a smooth consistency with an appropriate pH of 6.8 compared to other formulations. F4 remained stable in terms of pH with slight color changes during three months of storage at room temperature and 40°C. F4 showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Besides, F4 exhibited potential antioxidant activity by inhibiting reactive oxygen species production but no anti-inflammatory activity against nitric oxide production. The heavy metal content of F4 was found to be in the safe permissible range. This study shows that the cocoa shell extract of T. cacao is a promising candidate for the development of topical antibacterial skincare products.