Antioxidant and Anti-Aging Potential of Indian Sandalwood Oil against Environmental Stressors In Vitro and Ex Vivo

Abstract

Distilled from the heartwood of Santalum album, Indian sandalwood oil is an essential oil that historically has been used as a natural active ingredient in cosmetics to condition and brighten the skin. It has been documented to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative activities. Here, we investigated the protective and anti-aging effects of Indian sandalwood oil in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HaCaT cells and in human skin explants after exposure to oxidative stress. Using a probe DCFH-DA, the antioxidant capacity of Indian sandalwood oil was monitored following exposure to blue light at 412 nm and 450 nm or cigarette smoke. The anti-aging effect of sandalwood oil was also explored in human skin explants via the assessment of collagenase level (MMP-1). We reported that Indian sandalwood oil possessed antioxidant potential that can scavenge the ROS generated by a free radical generating compound (AAPH). Subsequent exposure to environmental stressors revealed that Indian sandalwood oil possessed superior antioxidant activity in comparison to vitamin E (alpha tocopherol). Using human skin explants, this study demonstrated that Indian sandalwood oil can also inhibit the pollutant-induced level of MMP-1. The findings indicated that Indian sandalwood oil can potentially serve as a protective and anti-aging active ingredient in cosmetics and dermatology against environmental stressors.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Blue Light Exposure on Skin: A Review of Published Literature

“…An ideal regimen of daytime protection would include reduced exposure to blue light and prevention or minimization of free radical formation (Table 4) [22,34,[46][47][48][49][50][51]. An ideal regimen of night-time repair would include greater protection of the opsin photoreceptors against activation, collagen against degradation, mitochondria against damage, and DNA against oxidation, as well as other methods (Table 4) [11,29,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61].…”

Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Acquired Inner Ear Disorders

“…The authors identified three new compounds: copriqunolinone, spirobenzofuranone, and hydrate of deoxyspirobenzofuran. The antioxidant property of Indian sandalwood oil is stronger than that of vitamin E, as demonstrated by in vitro research on the human keratinocyte cell line and ex vivo studies on human skin explants [ 226 ]. A recent clinical study revealed that skin treated with Indian sandalwood oil was protected against blue light exposure [ 223 ].…”

Antiaging and Skin Irritation Potential of Four Main Indonesian Essential Oils

“…In general, natural products can be potentially antiaging active ingredients in cosmetics, such as S. macrophylla seed extract as an anti-UVB photoprotective ingredient [6] and sandalwood oil as an environmental stress-protective ingredient [28].…”

“…The lowest score was observed in subjects with nutmeg and clove oil treatments, as well as UVB exposure. Therefore, essential oils have the potential to repair damaged aging skin caused by UVB exposure [28]. In general, natural products can be potentially antiaging active ingredients in cosmetics, such as S. macrophylla seed extract as an anti-UVB photoprotective ingredient [29] and sandalwood oil as an environmental stress-protective ingredient [30].…”

“…Based on this information and the irritation test by the local cosmetic industry, in this study, a clinical evaluation on human skin was conducted. Essential oils are used in cosmetics and body care products, where a patch test on the skin is essential to determine its irritant potential (allergies) [28]. This skin irritation potential was described by the mean irritation index (MII), which was obtained from scores and subsequently divided based on the 33 subjects.…”