RESUMO
Skin care formulations with antioxidants are being widely explored for their benefits to human skin. The purpose of this study was to formulate a stable w/o emulsion containing anthocyanin derived from Malus dosmestica fruit extract and to further explore its beneficial effects on normal human skin. Anthocyanin was extracted using various solvents from the peel of Malus dosmestica fruit. w/o creams containing anthocyanin has been prepared and systematically characterized for various physiochemical properties in terms of stability at varying conditions of storage. An efficacy study has been carried out on 12 male healthy Asian subjects to determine effects of anthocyanin on skin melanin, erythema, skin moisture, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and on skin sebum. Solvent system containing methanol/acetone/water (3.5: 3.5: 3 v/v/v) including 1% formic acid established a best recovery of anthocyanin from fruit peel. W/O emulsions presented promising stability profile when kept at different storage conditions over 90 days period. All skin parameters studied, anthocyanin has been found more efficacious (p<0.05) for its effects on skin melanin and erythema content of skin. It has been shown that a topical application of anthocyanin derived from Malus domestica has substantial potential for human skin system and needs some patient oriented studies could warrant its potential for damaged skin.