Phytochemical Compositions and Cosmeceutical Activities of Rosa damascena Mill. Leaf Extracts from Environmentally Friendly Extraction Technique

Abstract

A significant amount of Rosa damascena Mill. leaves were discarded as waste during the harvesting and pruning for flowering. The current study aimed to investigate the potential of using these agricultural waste products in the cosmetics industry. Dried R. damascena leaves were extracted using maceration or environmentally friendly extractions, including infusion, digestion, ultrasonic, microwave, micellar, and pulsed electric fields (PEF) extraction. The extracts were analyzed for their chemical compositions and assessed for antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-aging properties. The irritation profile of each extract was investigated by the hen’s egg-chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test. The results noted that extraction by ethanol yielded significantly higher extract content than deionized water (P < 0.05). However, total phenolic and flavonoid content was found to be greater, whereas the bioactive compounds, including rutin and rosmarinic acid, were only found in the aqueous extracts. On the other hand, kojic acid was found in the extract from infusion and maceration. Interestingly, the extracts from micellar and PEF extractions were found to significantly scavenge the radical, which were related to their rutin contents. Their collagenase inhibition (69.1 ± 10.1% and 54.8 ± 19.1%, respectively) were equivalent to those of epigallocatechin gallate, a well-known anti-aging compound (76.0 ± 1.2%). Besides, all extracts were safe since they induced no irritation in the HET-CAM test. In conclusion, environmentally friendly extraction of bioactive components from R. damascena leaves were suggested, with the potential to be exploited as an anti-aging and whitening ingredient for further use in cosmeceutical area. Keywords: Rosa damascene, Green extraction, Antioxidant, Anti-tyrosinase, Collagen, Elastin; Hyaluronan, Irritation