Development of herbal anti acne gel and its evaluation against acne causing bacteria propionibacterium acne and staphylococcus epidermidis

Abstract

Acne by definition is multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous units. Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis are considered as the major skin bacteria that cause the formation of acne. Although acne does not pose serious threat to general health, it is one of the most socially distressing conditions especially for adolescents. The objective of this study was to design a product to treat Acne with purely herbal actives as an effective and safe alternative to harmful antibiotics. For this purpose three essential oils and two herbal extracts having anti-microbial properties were selected. These were incorporated in a Gel Base in different concentrations and the in vitro antibacterial activity for the different formulations (F1, F2, F3) was studied against Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S.epidermidis), a causative organism for Acne vulgaris using Agar Well Diffusion method. All the formulations showed satisfactory Anti-microbial activity with Formulation F3 showing highest activity. It was then subjected to stress testing for three months at various temperatures. The samples were found to be stable after three months of stability studies and showed satisfactory antibacterial activity against Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis at the end of the stress testing studies. Thus it was concluded that the formulated Herbal Anti Acne Gel with natural actives can be used effectively for treating acne on skin.