The genus Curcuma is part of the Zingiberaceae family, and many Curcuma species have been used as traditional medicine and cosmetics in Thailand. To find new cosmeceutical ingredients, the in vitro anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and cytotoxic activities of four Curcuma species as well as the isolation of compounds from the most active crude extract (C. aromatica) were investigated. The crude extract of C. aromatica showed 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity with an IC₅₀ value of 102.3 μg/mL. The cytotoxicity effect of C. aeruginosa, C. comosa, C. aromatica, and C. longa extracts assessed with the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at 200 μg/mL were 12.1 ± 2.9, 14.4 ± 4.1, 28.6 ± 4.1, and 46.9 ± 8.6, respectively. C. aeruginosa and C. comosa presented apoptosis cells (57.7 ± 3.1% and 32.6 ± 2.2%, respectively) using the CytoTox-ONE™ assay. Different crude extracts or phytochemicals purified from C. aromatica were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory properties. The crude extract of C. aromatica showed the highest potential to inhibit NF-κB activity, followed by C. aeruginosa, C. comosa, and C. longa, respectively. Among the various purified phytochemicals curcumin, germacrone, curdione, zederone, and curcumenol significantly inhibited NF-κB activation in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes. Of all compounds, curcumin was the most potent anti-inflammatory.

Kaempferia parviflora (Black ginger) is used widely in medical fields as an anti-microorganism and anti-inflammation. In this study, the aim was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anti-acne efficacy of black ginger extract. The results indicate that the methanol and ethanol extracts showed the highest total phenolic contents, without a significant difference, whereas the n-hexane extract showed the highest total flavonoid content. Nine flavones were detected using UPLC−QTOF−MS, and the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest amount of 5,7-dimethoxyflavone (DMF) according to HPLC. Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and Cutibacterium acnes was observed. All the extracts showed antimicrobial activity against C. acnes, revealing MICs in the range of 0.015 to 0.030 mg/mL, whereas the ethyl acetate extract inhibited the growth of S. epidermidis with a MIC of 3.84 mg/mL. In addition, the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest activity regarding nitric oxide inhibition (IC50 = 12.59 ± 0.35 µg/mL). The ethyl acetate extract was shown to be safe regarding cell viability at 0.1 mg/mL. The anti-acne efficacy was evaluated on volunteers. The volunteers were treated in two groups: one administered a 0.02% ethyl acetate extract gel-cream (n = 9) and one administered a placebo (n = 9) for 6 weeks. The group treated with the gel-cream containing the extract showed 36.52 and 52.20% decreases in acne severity index (ASI) after 4 and 6 weeks, respectively, and 18.19 and 18.54% decreases in erythema, respectively. The results suggest that K. parviflora could be a potent active ingredient in anti-inflammatory and anti-acne products.

Theobroma cacao L. (cocoa) pod husk, a byproduct of the chocolate industry, has potential for commercial applications due to its bioactive compounds. This study aimed to determine the phytochemical composition, biological activity, and clinical efficacy of a standardized extract. This study compared 80% ethanol (CE) and 80% ethanol acidified (CEA) as extraction solvents. The result indicated that CEA yielded higher total phenolic content (170.98 ± 7.41 mg GAE/g extract) and total flavonoid content (3.91 ± 0.27 mg QE/g extract) than CE. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) identified various phenolic and flavonoid compounds. CEA demonstrated stronger anti-oxidant (IC₅₀ = 5.83 ± 0.11 μg/mL in the DPPH assay and 234.17 ± 4.01 mg AAE/g extract in the FRAP assay) compared to CE. Additionally, CEA exhibited anti-tyrosinase (IC₅₀ = 9.51 ± 0.01 mg/mL), anti-glycation (IC₅₀ = 62.32 ± 0.18 µg/mL), and anti-collagenase (IC₅₀ = 0.43 ± 0.01 mg/mL), nitric oxide (NO) production inhibitory (IC₅₀ = 62.68 μg/mL) activities, without causing toxicity to cells. A formulated lotion containing CEA (0.01–1.0% w/w) demonstrated stability over six heating–cooling cycles. A clinical study with 30 volunteers showed no skin irritation. The 1.0% w/w formulation (F4) improved skin hydration (+52.48%), reduced transepidermal water loss (−7.73%), and decreased melanin index (−9.10%) after 4 weeks of application. These findings suggest cocoa pod husk extract as a promising active ingredient for skin hydrating and lightening formulation. Nevertheless, further long-term studies are necessary to evaluate its efficacy in anti-aging treatments.

Cissampelos pareira is a plant known for its edible and medicinal properties, with bioactive potential in various applications. This study aimed to isolate and characterize pectin from C. pareira (PCP) and assess its safety, as well as its efficacy in skin moisturizing and anti-aging effects on human volunteers. The highest yield of PCP extraction was achieved after a 45 min extraction period. Chemical composition analysis using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of a characteristic pectin structure. Optimized PCP samples revealed high methoxy pectin content, degree of esterification, and galacturonic acid concentration, along with consistent physicochemical properties. PCP exhibited antioxidant activity and showed no cytotoxicity at 1 mg/mL, and effectively reduced hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in NIH/3T3 cells. Stability assessment indicated that PCP maintains its physical appearance and total polysaccharide content after heating–cooling periods. None of the PCP formulations caused skin irritation among volunteers. In an 8-week clinical trial, subjects who used serum formulations containing 0.5% w/w and 1.0% w/w PCP showed significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity compared to the placebo serum group. While skin smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkling also improved, these anti-aging results were not statistically significant. The results indicated PCP is a promising candidate for skin care applications due to its safety, stability, antioxidant activity, and demonstrated efficacy in enhancing skin hydration and elasticity.

Traditional pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and Japanese pumpkin (C. maxima) consist of natural polysaccharides. From a scientific basis, natural polysaccharides could be applied to improve hydration in the cosmetic field. The purified polysaccharide was extracted and deproteinized with the CaCl₂ method. Japanese pumpkin showed the higher value of physicochemical properties including yield (12.96 ± 0.60%), total polysaccharide content (0.89 ± 0.04 mg/mL), swelling capacity (4.00 ± 0.00%), swelling index (1.04 ± 0.00%), solubility (126.67 ± 5.77%), viscosity (1.25 ± 0.00 cps), water capacity (0.93 ± 0.15 g/g) and oil absorption capacity (5.93 ± 0.06 g/g) than traditional pumpkin. Additionally, Japanese pumpkin (IC₅₀ 9.30 ± 0.58 µg/mL) provided higher antioxidant activity by DPPH assay than traditional pumpkin (IC₅₀ 9.98 ± 0.25 µg/mL). The evaluation of efficacy on skin hydration in fifteen Thai volunteers indicated that Japanese pumpkin showed non-skin irritation. An extract concentration of 0.05–0.1% showed a significantly increased effect in moisturizing ability according to concentration (p < 0.05). This result supported that it was safe and effective to use as a moisturizer for cosmetic products.