Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Their Derivatives: Cosmeceutical Significance, Challenges and Future Perspectives, a Review

Abstract

Bioactive compounds from natural sources, due to their widely-recognized benefits, have been exploited as cosmeceutical ingredients. Among them, phenolic acids emerge with a very interesting potential. In this context, this review analyzes hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives as multifunctional ingredients for topical application, as well as the limitations associated with their use in cosmetic formulations. Hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives display antioxidant, anti-collagenase, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-tyrosinase activities, as well as ultraviolet (UV) protective effects, suggesting that they can be exploited as anti-aging and anti-inflammatory agents, preservatives and hyperpigmentation-correcting ingredients. Due to their poor stability, easy degradation and oxidation, microencapsulation techniques have been employed for topical application, preventing them from degradation and enabling a sustained release. Based on the above findings, hydroxycinnamic acids present high cosmetic potential, but studies addressing the validation of their benefits in cosmetic formulations are still scarce. Furthermore, studies dealing with skin permeation are scarcely available and need to be conducted in order to predict the topical bioavailability of these compounds after application.

Assessing the Viability of Recovery of Hydroxycinnamic Acids from Lignocellulosic Biorefinery Alkaline Pretreatment Waste Streams

“…cations. [15,16] With their largea rray of beneficial physiological activities, both pCA and FA are used widely across the food, health,chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries.…”

Laccase‐mediated grafting of polyphenols onto cationized cotton fibers to impart UV protection and antioxidant activities

“…They possess great potential as reducing agents, hydrogen‐donating antioxidants, and singlet oxygen quenchers . Phenolic acids are hydroxylated derivatives of benzoic, and cinnamic acid, they have received great attention as bioactive agents for their antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti‐inflammatory capacities …”

Study of Thermoplastic Extrusion and Its Impact on the Chemical and Nutritional Characteristics and Two Sorghum Genotypes SC 319 and BRS 332

“…Benzoic acids can also be found in both forms, but their conjugated form mainly occurs with glycosides. 77 The most common hydroxycinnamic acids are caffeic, ρ-coumaric and ferulic acids; and benzoic acids are protocatechic, gallic, siringeic, vanillic, gallic acids, all of them already related to antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions. 78,79 In the class of flavonoids, the subclasses flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-oys, flavonols and anthocyanins were identified.…”