Cosmetic Preservative Potential and Chemical Composition of Lafoensia replicata Pohl. Leaves

The study evaluated the preservative potential of Lafoensia replicata Pohl. leaf extracts in cosmetics, highlighting their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and in vitro cytotoxic activities for ethanolic extract prepared by the maceration and tincture method. Total phenol content showed a higher phenol concentration in ethanolic extract and tinctures, and by LC-MS/MS-ESI-QTOF analysis, flavonoids, hydrolyzed tannins, and phenolic acids were identified. The ethanolic extract and tincture showed high antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans (MIC < 50 µg mL^-1), high antioxidant activity (EC₅₀ < 50 µg mL^-1 in the DPPH method, and results > 450 µmol trolox equivalent in the ABTS and FRAP method), and low cytotoxicity in human keratinocytes (IC₅₀ > 350 µg mL^-1). The results suggest these extracts could be an alternative to synthetic preservatives in the cosmetic industry.