Characterization and evaluation of commercial carboxymethyl cellulose potential as an active ingredient for cosmetics

Eduardo M. Costa, Carla F. Pereira, Alessandra A. Ribeiro, Francisca Casanova, Ricardo Freixo, Manuela Pintado, Óscar L. Ramos*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)
101 Downloads

Abstract

Carboxymethyl cellulose is the most used water-soluble cellulose with applications in industries such as food, cosmetics, and tissue engineering. However, due to a perceived lack of biological activity, carboxymethyl cellulose is mostly used as a structural element. As such, this work sought to investigate whether CMC possesses relevant biological properties that could grant it added value as a cosmeceutical ingredient in future skincare formulations. To that end, CMC samples (Mw between 471 and 322 kDa) skin cell cytotoxicity, impact upon pro-collagen I α I production, and inflammatory response were evaluated. Results showed that samples were not cytotoxic towards HaCat and HDFa up to 10 mg/mL while simultaneously promoting intracellular production of pro-collagen I α I up by 228% relative to the basal metabolism, which appeared to be related to the highest DS and Mw. Additionally, CMC samples modulated HaCat immune response as they decreased by ca. 1.4-fold IL-8 production and increased IL-6 levels by ca. five fold. Despite this increase, only two samples presented IL-6 levels similar to those of the inflammation control. Considering these results, CMC showed potential to be a more natural alternative to traditional bioactive cosmetic ingredients and, as it is capable of being a bioactive and structural ingredient, it may play a key role in future skincare formulations.
Original languageEnglish
Article number6560
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
JournalApplied Sciences
Volume12
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Jun 2022

Keywords

  • Carboxymethyl cellulose
  • Cosmeceutical
  • Immunomodulation
  • Pro-collagen production
  • Skin keratinocytes
  • Skin normal fibroblasts

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Characterization and evaluation of commercial carboxymethyl cellulose potential as an active ingredient for cosmetics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this