Plant and Cosmetics Research Group

Keywords: plant cosmetic ingredients

With the development of society, people's demand for materials is higher and higher. Of course, people who love beauty pay more attention to clothing, and so do cosmetics. The composition and efficacy of cosmetics have always been a topic of concern. Plants are the first choice of cosmetics, so they have been widely concerned by people. According to statistics, 80% cosmetics in Europe, the main production base of cosmetics in the world, contain aloe, which further illustrates the position of plants in cosmetics.

Investigation process: (1) Go to the library bookstore.

Several of us often go to the school library and bookstore to read books and find relevant information. We found the Complete Works of Aloe Vera, Living Fossil-Ginkgo biloba, Good Housewives, Life and other books, newspapers and magazines, and extracted relevant contents.

(2) Online inquiry

Searching for information on the Internet is the main way for us to obtain information. Among the team members, Danny, Wei Ran and Shanshan all have computers, which provides great convenience for our research. Most of our current information is found on the Internet.

(3) Investigation and visit

On weekends, I also go to cosmetics stores, beauty salons and supermarkets to check some cosmetics brochures. The shopkeeper enthusiastically told us what she knew, which also gave us a lot of useful information.

(4) Discussion

During the research, we exchanged and discussed some main directions provided by teachers and methods of finding information, thus enhancing the unity and cohesion of our group.

Research results: Through a semester's research, we have mastered some information: some plants commonly used in cosmetics production contain effective components and their effects, such as aloe, ginkgo, lemon and so on; Correct selection of cosmetics, such as the dosage of fruit acid, must be paid attention to.

(1) aloe

In the cosmetics market, aloe vera plays an important role in skin care and beauty with its magical efficacy and natural characteristics, and has gradually become the first choice for fashionable women. What they value is the astringent function of aloe vera, which is used to prevent wrinkles and skin relaxation, keep the skin moist and smooth, and when the skin is tanned, aloe vera can effectively restore its true color.

Functions of Aloe Vera:

(1) Nutrition and Moisturizing: Aloe amino acids and compound polysaccharides constitute a natural moisturizing factor (NMF), which can replenish water lost from skin, restore the function of collagen, prevent facial wrinkles and keep skin soft, smooth and elastic.

(2) Sun protection: Some ingredients in aloe can form an invisible film on the skin, which can prevent redness and burns caused by sun exposure and protect the skin from burns. In addition, it can also treat ulcers caused by X-rays. This is because aloe is rich in amino acids that are beneficial to skin metabolism, such as aspartic acid, glycine and serine. It can prevent the damage and oxidation of epidermis by long-wave ultraviolet rays in sunlight, protect the reduction and metabolism of epidermal cells, and has anti-radiation effect.

(3) Whitening: Aloe contains a series of active ingredients, among which SOD and catalase can prevent cell aging and reduce melanocytes.

(4) Softening skin: Aloe can accelerate the blood circulation of local tissues, make facial skin get more nutrition, promote cell regeneration, and soften rough and hard skin. In addition, it can make facial wrinkles disappear and muscle cells in the skin contract.

Aloe vera has many other functions, and it is also a plant with high ornamental and medicinal value. I won't list them all here.

(2) Fruit acid

Never has an efficient substance caused so many discussion topics like fruit acid. The European Union has restricted the use of fruit acid in cosmetics and made it mandatory to label products containing fruit acid. In fact, fruit acid combined with proper home care and different concentrations and combinations is still an insurance beauty maintenance method commonly used by beauticians and doctors to improve patients' skin.

Fruit acid is actually a general term for several chemicals, usually referring to citric acid in citrus fruits, malic acid in apples, tartaric acid in wine and glycolic acid extracted from sugarcane. Because most of them can be found in natural fruits, they are called fruit acids. The chemical structure of fruit acid is hydroxyl, and the English name is AHA.

The efficacy of fruit acid:

(1) Improve skin quality: When the fruit acid is applied to the skin surface, the aqueous substances between cells can penetrate into the epidermis, remove the excessively thick keratinocytes, make the skin soft and young, and change the rough and inelastic aging skin.

(2) Beauty wrinkle removal: Any fruit acid product can improve the skin's ability to resist dryness, improve the skin's natural moisturizing ability, keep the skin moist and reduce fine wrinkles. Fruit acid is a good humectant, which can increase the water content in the dermis of the skin. When coated with high concentration of fruit acid, the cuticle of the skin solidifies without any treatment, and naturally separates from the skin, making the peeled skin moist and white.

(3) Fruit acid can also treat acne, acne, senile plaque and various pigmented spots.

Pay attention to the concentration of fruit acid. The effect of fruit acid on skin varies with concentration. Low concentration of fruit acid can reduce the cohesion and thickness of the stratum corneum. This exfoliating effect can promote skin metabolism. Generally, the fruit acid contained in skin care products is in the low concentration range (below 15%), so it is relatively safe to use.

High concentration of fruit acid (more than 20%) has a great effect on destroying the connective tissue of stratum corneum cells, which will lead to epidermal shedding. Can be used for chemical skin change, and can remove some fine wrinkles and light spots on the face. However, high concentration of fruit acid is easy to produce side effects.

This is a small part of the report I made. I hope it helps you! ~~~