The first quantitative rating system of the antioxidant capacity of beauty creams via the Briggs–Rauscher reaction: a crucial step towards evidence-based cosmetics

Abstract

Oxidative damage is the primary cause of skin aging. Skin care products are numerous and overwhelming, yet there is certain similarity among different formulations. Moisturizers are ubiquitous and the presence of particular added ingredients supports specific marketing claims. The antioxidant effects of botanical polyphenols possess tremendous marketing appeal, because oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the skin ability to neutralize them. The concept of evidence-based cosmetics lacks a widely accepted method to estimate the antioxidant capacity of the beauty cream. This was the motive force of the present study: for the first time we put forth a quantitative rating system of skin care products. The overall antioxidant power of 75 widely used and advertised beauty creams was comparatively measured via the oscillating Briggs–Rauscher (BR) reaction. Many dermocosmetic products confirmed their ability to ensure protection against free radicals, even if differences among various creams are striking and often not correlated with the their price. The method we developed is simple and cheap and it can allow dermatologists and consumers to compare and choose effectively; on the other hand, producers can used this method to select the most active antioxidant cosmetic agent to optimise the product performance.