Asian J Beauty Cosmetol. 2012; 10(3): 661-672.
Improvement of Acne Condition in Skin Care Using Camellia japonica L. extracts
ABSTRACT
Recently botanical cosmetics using plant extracts such as Camellia japonica (C. japonica) L. have been actively
studied. Many applications skin care products for acne treatment would have been developed considering a
new trend. While C. japonica is one of the best known species of Camellia. Because of it’s potential application
in cosmetic and medicinal fields. C. japonica has gained many attentions because of cosmetic and medicinal
ingredients in its leaf, C. japonica has been selected as a representative plant for commercial growth in
Jeonnam region since 2010. In this study, C. japonica L. extracts were added to base formula to make a skin
care product. Based on clinical trials, skin care product showed an acne diminishing activity in 4 weeks. To
elucidate the skin effect, firstly, antioxidant activity assays were performed. For hydroxyl radical scavenging
activity double distilled (DI) water extracts of C. japonica L. showed better activity than that of 40% ethanol
extracts. Several kinds of flavonoids and polyphenols have been found in DI water extracts of C. japonica L.
Next, antimicrobial activities were tested using ampicillin as a standard antibiotic. Comparing a clear zone
diameter, DI water extracts of C. japonica L. showed 56% of 100 μg/mL ampicillin. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc)
fraction showed less activity than that of DI water fractions throughout this study. As a result, C. japonica L.
extracts are considered to be valuable raw materials for cosmetic applications.
Keywords :
Camellia japonica L., DI water, Flavonoids, Polyphenol, Propionibacterium acnes
