Formulation and Standardization of Anti-Acne Herbal Foaming Face wash using Curcuma longa along with Aloe vera, Rosa centifolia and Citrus sinensis

Acne vulgaris is a very common skin disorder peaks at teenage, but many men and women between 20-40 years of age are also affected by the disorder. For the treatment of acne, herbal medication are considered safer than allopathic medicines as allopathic medicines are associated with side effects such as like contact allergy, local irritation, scaling, photosensitivity, itching and redness of the skin etc. The present research work was performed to check effectiveness of foaming face wash formulation containing Curcuma longa along with herbals excipient Aloe vera, Rosa centifolia and Citrus sinensis. Curcuma longa have been reported to contain active phytoconstituents having significant anti-microbial activity and used locally for acne. The plant material Curcuma longa, Aloe vera, Rosa centifolia and Citrus sinensis were authenticated and their extracts has been prepared using Soxhlet Apparatus and the the resulting essential oil was analyzed for its physical properties. The foaming face wash was than prepared by using the herbal extracts with excipients that were free from sulphates, parabens, silicon and petroleum products. Two formulations, A1and A2 has been prepared and their physicochemical studies were perfomed. The presence and efficacy of Curcuma longa in suppression of Propionibacterium acnes was assessed by analytical methods and anti-microbial techniques, respectively. Skin irritation studies were conducted using Wistar rats by scoring method. Accelerated stability studies were also performed for a period of 60 days. The physicochemical properties were evaluated and found to be satisfactory. Analytical techniques like High Performance Liquid Chromatography, High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography and Infra Red spectral analysis confirmed the qualitative presence of Curcuminoid, which is a mixture of curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin [4-hydroxycinnamoyl-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamoyl) methane] and Bis- demethoxycurcumin [bis-(4-hydroxy cinnamoyl) methane] in the sample. The Antibacterial activity of developed face wash assessed against Propionibacterium acnes was more than that of Clindamycin (10μg/ml). Also, the developed formulation showed a very high activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis with respect to the activity of the standard clindamycin. The prepared formulation showed no sign of localized reactions were confirmed by a skin irritation study indicating the formulation was safe and compatible with the skin. On the basis of our study, it could be stated, that formulation has antimicrobial activity and could be used safely on human skin