ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF COSMETIC CREAMS WITH EXTRACTS OF DRY FLOWERS AND FRUITS OF SAMBUCUS NIGRA L. - USE OF SAMBUCUS NIGRA L. AS A NON-TRADITIONAL CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVE

Natural ingredients rich in antioxidants and polyphenols in the forme of extracts, essential oils, organic acids have been used in the production of different cosmetic products. In the development of new cosmetic compositions, or the improvement of products already implemented in production, the evaluation of the user is of great importance, as it directly affects the demand for a given product. The present study aimed to produce phytocosmetic creams based on stearic acid with extracts of dry flower and fruit juice of Sambucus nigra L. (S. nigra) and to investigatein parallel their potential as substitutes for conventional preservatives. The obtained creams were determined for minimum inhibitory, and minimum bactericidal activity using three bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633). In addition, the antibacterial effect of creams against Escherichia coli (BW 28357) was determined. In our experiments we found that addition of dried flower extracts or elderberry fruit extracts from S. nigra in the emulsion does not disturb the compositional system. In conclusion, according to the results, the Sambucus nigra L. extracts from dry flowers and elderberry fruitsare appropriate for use in cosmetic emulsions that demonstated antioxidant stability and antibacterial properties.