Green and Sustainable Electrospun Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Eggshell Nanofiber Membrane with Lemon-Honey for Facial Mask...

Facial masks contain additives such as thickeners and preservatives that have adverse effects on the skin, and there is growing demand for organic products. Inspired by this, we developed a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibrous facial mask that contains all-natural ingredients such as honey and an eggshell membrane (ESM) by a green solvent-based electrospinning technique. Various analyses, including SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and TGA measurements, and tests for water solubility, wettability, water absorption and retention, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial properties were performed. SEM analysis showed average diameters from 257 to 325 nm. XRD results indicated decreased crystallinity after cross-linking. FT-IR measurements confirmed ester and acetal cross-link formation. TGA demonstrated enhanced thermal stability in cross-linked samples, especially PVA10%_lemon/esm10/honey20-H. Water solubility tests showed that heated samples were more stable. Water absorption rates exceeded 400%, with PVA10%_lemon/esm10/honey20-H having the highest retention rate. Wettability analysis showed significant changes in contact angles after heating. Antioxidant assays revealed that PVA10%_lemon had the highest DPPH activity (71.2%) among unheated samples, decreasing after cross-linking. Antibacterial tests showed significant activity only in PVA10%_lemon/esm10/honey20, against both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis bacteria. Active ingredients can be added directly to this facial mask. This facial mask is gentler on the skin, and its ingredients have antiaging and anti-inflammatory properties. This mask can avoid the use of preservatives. This prepared facial mask has potential to be used in the organic skincare product industry and can also help the chemical industry toward sustainable and healthy practices.