HERBAL DRUG TECHNOLOGY UNIT-III

HERBAL COSMETICS

• The word cosmetic was derived from the Greek word “kosm tikos” meaning having
the power, arrange, skill in decorating.
• Using various permissible cosmetic ingredients to form the base in which one or more
herbal ingredients are used to provide defined cosmetic benefits only, shall be called
as “herbal cosmetics”

DRUG AND COSMETIC ACT 1940:

Any Article or preparation intended to rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on or

introduced to or applied to any part of human body for cleaning, perfuming, beautifying,
promoting, attractiveness or altering the appearance and includes any article intended for use
as component of cosmetics.

Cosmetic used to perform the following actions:

• To clean
• To perfume
• To change the appearance
• To protect
• To keep in good condition
• To correct the body odor etc.,
and field of application of cosmetic remains to the epidermis, hair system, nails, lips,
teeth & mucous membrane of oral cavity.

Natural and Synthetic:

• The use of natural ingredients in personal and health care product has been practiced
since time immemorial leading to increased use of herb with a curative value.
• Modern research proves that herbs while being effective are also mild and soothing.
• Potent synthetic preparation and chemicals, though effective, constitute a toxic burden
to human body.
• "As the science advances, man made his life easy. Despite its harmful effect on long
term usage. As he started realizing serious effect of these he looked back into the
olden life style.so the ultimate example for this is Ayurveda/Herbal Usage”

COSMECEUTICALS:
• Cosmeceuticals is the fastest growing segment of the personal care products these are
cosmetic products which contain biologically active principles or ingredients of plant
origin.
• There is an increased demand for the use of natural substances in cosmetics in recent
years due to their mild action and non-toxic in nature in many cases they are found to
be quite effective.

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COSMETIC-PHYTOGNOSY:
• Which deals with biochemical and physicochemical properties of plant derived
ingredients to be used in cosmetics.
• Basically, six different types of plant derived ingredients are used in herbal cosmetics.

Type of plants derived ingredients are used in herbal cosmetics

➢ Fresh materials
➢ Dried materials
➢ Acellular product (oils, resins, gums)
➢ Galenical preparation (infusions, decoctions, extracts)
➢ Processed extracts
➢ Pure isolated compounds

Cosmetic Phytognosy is a new terminology for the science of functional plant derived
cosmetic ingredients.

TYPES OF HERBAL COSMETICS

Skin care Hair care Other

Skin cleanser Detergents Colors

Moisturizers
Conditioners Perfumes
Nourishers
Nourishers
Talcum powder
Antiseptics
Hair Colorant
Soothing agents Oral Care products
Hair growth
Sunscreens promoter

Antiwrinkle
Anti dandruff
Anti-Acne
1. Skin Care Products
• Skin is constantly exposed to dirt, microbes, irritants, radiation and toxins which can
affect the skin in many ways.
• Hence to protect the skin cleanse it and restore the tone, soothen it and prevent
tanning, wrinkle and scar formation, various preparations are used which are enlisted

EXAMPLE
➢ Skin cleansers :
✓ Eg: Milk, cucumber, citrus peels, aloe.

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➢ Moisturizers:
✓ Eg :Aloe-vera, almond oil ,rose
➢ Nourishers:
✓ Eg: Honey, carrot peach wheat germ oil.
➢ Antiseptics:
✓ Eg : Neem, turmeric, tulsi, lavender oil.
➢ Soothing agents (Emollients):
✓ Eg: Sesame oil, almond oil, aloe-vera
➢ Sunscreens:
✓ Eg: Aloe-vera, chamomile, calendula, cucumber
➢ Anti-Wrinkle & anti-Aging:
✓ Eg: peach, liquorice, papaya, aloe-vera, apricot, turmeric
➢ Anti-acne :
✓ Eg: cucumber gel, vetiver.

2. Hair care product:

• Hair complexion, color and style play an important role in people's physical
appearance.
• Hair care preparations are applied topically to the scalp and hair.
• These contain ingredients which either clean, condition or nourish the hair or prevent
dandruff formation.
• The following are the various hair care preparations.

EXAMPLE:
➢ Detergents:
✓ Eg: Soap nut, shikekai, reetha.
➢ Conditioners:
✓ Eg: Henna, amla , hibiscus, rosemary, tea
➢ Nourishers:
✓ Eg: brahmi, bringraj, eggs, coconut oil, sesame oil
➢ Hair colorants:
✓ Eg: Henna
➢ Hair growth promoters:
✓ Eg: Brahmi, hibiscus, coconut oil, amla, sesame oil
➢ Anti dandruff:
✓ Eg: Soap nut , shikekai, lemon, thyme, Aloe-vera

3. Other cosmetic
These are used to prepare various cosmetic products like lipstick, nail polishes, eye
products.
Eg: Anthocyanins, saffron, turmeric, carotenoids, indigo, capsicum, chlorophyll.
✓ Perfumes:
Eg: Volatile oils of plants like rose , lavender, jasmine, sandalwood
✓ Talcum powders:
It contains talc with added plant extracts to impart the desired flavour and odours.
Eg: sandalwood, rose, jasmine, lavender, etc..

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Oral care (Hygiene) products:

• Oral care products like tooth pastes, powder, mouth wash, mouth freshners etc.
• Various herbs and their extracts are incorporated into these preparations in order to
achieve antimicrobial, antiseptic, anti-plaque, anti- inflammatory and mouth
freshening properties.
Eg: Neem, mentha, chamomile, sage, myrrh, nutmeg, chitosan, calendula,
rosemary, etc.

STUDY OF DRUGS USED IN COSMETICS:

1) Soapnut (Ruth)
It consists of pods of Sapindus trifoliatus, Sapindus mukorassi.
• Family: Sapindaceae.
• Description:
➢ It is a shrub with linear pods, the dried powder of the pods is brown in
color and have soap like properties.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains saponins (10-11.5), mucilage, gums, proteins.
➢ Saponins contain sapindosides A, B, C and D, diosgenin, gitogenin,
chlorogenin and rusogenin.
• Uses:
➢ It is used as detergent, hair cleanser, hair growth promoter and
antidandruff agent.

2) Amla (Indian gooseberry)

It consists of dried and fresh fruits of Phyllanthus emblica.
• Family: Phyllanthaceae
• Description:
➢ It is a small tree with a number of globular fruits which are yellowish
green in color
➢ They have a sour and astringent taste.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It is a rich source of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), other constituents include
tannins, minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorous.
➢ It is also rich in pectin.
• Uses:
➢ Amla is used as a hair growth promoter, hair nourisher hair conditioner
and colorant
3) Henna (Mehendi)
It consists of fresh and dried leaves of Lawsonia inermis
• Family: Lythraceae.
• Description:
➢ It is a flowering plant and its leaves are used to color and decorate the skin
and hair
• Chemical constituents:
➢ Henna contains a soluble component known as lawsone

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➢ It is responsible for the colour.

➢ It also contains xanthones, tannins, flavonoids and coumarins
• Uses:
➢ Henna is used as hair colorant, hair dye, hair conditioner and nourisher.
➢ It produces a cooling effect on the skin.
➢ It is also used to treat burns and wounds
4) Hibiscus (Jaswand)
It consists of dried flowers and leaves of Hibiscus rosa sinensis,
• Family:Malvaceae.
• Description :
➢ Red and white varieties are generally used in hair care preparations.

• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains Vitamins, flavonoids, anthocyanins, quercetin, mucilage and
albumin.
• Uses :
➢ It is used as hair growth promoter, anti greying agent, hair conditioner,
hair rinser.
➢ It gives smoothness and shine to the hair.
5) Tea (Chai)
It consists of dried leaves of Thea sinensis and Camellia sinensis,
• Family:
➢ Theaceae
• Description:
➢ The leaves are collected, dried and made into the form of tea dust
• Chemical constituents:
➢ Tea contains polyphenols, catechin epicatechin, caffeine, theophylline,
theobromine
• Uses:
➢ It is used as hair conditioner, colorant.
➢ If gives Smoothness and shihe to hair
6) Aloe (Kumari)
It consists of dried or fresh mucilage of Aloe vera
• Family: Liliaceae,
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains anthraquinones like rhein, aloin, emodin, minerals and mucilage.
➢ Chemically mucilage is a polysaccharide consisting of salts of poly uronic
acids.
• Uses:
➢ Aloe has good wound healing properties.
➢ It is used in skin care and hair care cosmetics,
➢ It is used to treat radiation burns,
➢ It is also used as a hair conditioner and nourisher.
➢ Aloe is used as an ingredient in various sunscreen c and skin moisturizer
creams

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7) Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza)
It consists of dried roots and stolons of Glycyrrhiza glabra,
• Family: Leguminosae.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ Liquorice contains saponin glycosides, glycyrrhizin.
➢ It also contains flavonoids, liquiritin and isoliquiritin

• Uses:
➢ The ammonium and sodium salts of glycyrrhizinic acid are widely used in
cosmetics.
➢ It has skin improving properties hence used in skin care cosmetics.
8) Turmeric (Curcuma)
It consists of dried and frsh rhizomes of Curcuma longa,
• Family: Zingiberaceae.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains volatile oils, resins,curcuminoids like curcumins
• Uses:
➢ Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, skin conditioning and antioxidant
properties
➢ It is used in skin care cosmetics.
➢ It is also used as a colouring agent, antimicrobial and wound healing
agent.
➢ It is incorporated in ointments & creams.
9) Bhringraj
It consists of the entire herb of Eclipta alba,
• Family: Asteraceae.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains alkaloid ellipticine, amyrin, wedelolactone, wedelic acid and
luteolin.
• Uses:
➢ Anti-inflammatory.
➢ It improves the skin complexion.
➢ It is also used as a dentifrice
10)Sandalwood
It consists of heart wood of Santalum album,
• Family: Santalaceae.
• Description:
➢ The wood is obtained from main stem and branches.
➢ It is collected from adult 25 years old trees.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains volatile oils, which contain 95% of two isomeric sesquiterpene
alcohols namely a alpha and beta santalol.
➢ It also contains santalal, santene, santanone,santalone and santalene
• Uses :
➢ Sandalwood is used in perfumery, as skin conditioner, in creams, lotions
soaps and powders.

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11) Sesame oil

It is a fixed oil obtained from Sesamum indicum,
• Family: Pedaliaceae.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains glycerides of fatty acids, mainly oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic
and arachidic acids. It also contains phenol, sesamol.
• Uses:
➢ It is used as nutritive softening agent (emollient),
➢ Used in manufacture of soaps,ointments and pastes

12) Bees wax

It is the purified wax obtained from honeycomb of bees Apis mellifera.
• Family: Apidae.
• Chemical constituents:
➢ It contains esters monohydric alcohols, myricin, myricyl palmitate,
cerotic acid, mellisic acid and an aromatic substance cerolein
• Uses:
➢ It is used in the preparation of ointments,plasters, cosmetic, creams.

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