Cosmetic potential of natural products: Industrial applications

Abstract

The cosmetic industry is a high-valued and evergreen multibillion dollar industry with more specialized and advanced products adding up every year. The major product categories in the cosmetic industry are skin care, hair care, perfumes, deodorants, toiletries, and make-up. Of these, skin care products top the list, accounting around 36 % of the global cosmetic market. Natural products, a treasure of medicinally active compounds are used for treating various skin ailments, infections, inflammation and as a protectant of UV irradiation and pollution. The hybrid of cosmetic and pharmaceutical compounds, known as cosmeceuticals, possesses therapeutic as well as beautification potential based on its key ingredients. Natural products are well regarded as a rich source of cosmeceuticals. Different classes of natural compounds originating from animal, plant, and marine algal sources are placed under the category of high-valued cosmetic ingredients. The extraction of fatty acid components from botanicals and other natural sources opens up a big market in the cosmetic industry. The present chapter introduces the recent advancement and strategies followed in the cosmeceutical industry, and the role of plant tissue culture in enhancing the production of pharmaceutically valued natural products along with the current regulatory policies.