Cosmetic properties of red macroalgae and cyanobacteria

Abstract

In the last years, research on natural products has gained considerable attention, particularly in the cosmetic industry, which is looking for new bio-active and biodegradable molecules. In this study, cosmetic properties in cyanobacteria and red macroalgae species were analyzed, focusing on antioxidant and photoprotective capacities. The main molecules with these properties, mycosporine like aminoacids (MAAs), scytonemin and phenolic compounds, were quantified. The antioxidant activity was determined in vitro through the ABTS assay. The photoprotective capacity was also measured in vitro using a novel technique, that can be made quickly, easily and without using animal or human volunteers. In this research, a high content of scytonemin was observed in Scytonema sp. and Lyngbya sp., and the highest content of MAAs was obtained in Porphyra umbilicalis (max. absorption at 334nm). Scytonema sp. was the unique species that presented a MAA with maximum absorption in the UV-B band (310nm). The highest content of polyphenols was also observed in Scytonema sp. and P. umbilicalis. In general, cyanobacteria presented a higher antioxidant activity than red macroalgae. Extracts of some species incorporated in creams showed an increase in the photoprotection capacity in comparison with the base cream. Extracts of these organisms can be used as natural photoprotectors, improving the hotoprotection of sunscreens. The combination of different extracts enriched in scytonemin and MAAs could be useful to design broad-band natural UV screen cosmeceutical products.