Piante officinali nella cosmesi: fra tradizione e innovazione

Abstract: From the first beauty products in ancient Egypt, cosmetics have come down through centuries and history, with ups and downs, to reach us today. Scientific research provides ever more in-depth and updated information on the properties of natural cosmetic ingredients. These are now obtained from an increasing number of plant species, native of different countries and continents. Furthermore, thanks to innovative biotechnologies, based on the use of plant stem cells, it is now possible to use rare or protected plants to obtain precious cosmetic ingredients. Modern technologies have made it possible to obtain products intended to be applied on the external surfaces of the human body not only to clean, perfume, modify appearance or correct odors, but also to protect or keep in good condition. In order to verify the effects and effectiveness of plant substances included in cosmetics, in vitro tests are carried out in research laboratories, using enzymatic assays and cell cultures, combined with in vivo tests using new animal models, such as tropical zebrafish.