Biogenic silica microparticles as a new and sustainable cosmetic ingredient: assessment of performance and quality parameters

The demand for sustainable products is increasing worldwide and cosmetic industry is not an exception. Besides exploring nature as source of new ingredients, their production must be sustainable and should use environmentally friendly processes. In this work, biogenic silica microparticles were synthesized from sugarcane ash, and their potential application as cosmetic and skincare ingredient was evaluated. For such application, several properties were validated, including cytotoxicity in skin keratinocytes, potential sensitization effect on skin peptides, stimulation of pro-collagen I alpha 1, wound healing capacity, as well as the ingredient stability along a storage period. Biogenic silica showed to be non-cytotoxic on skin keratinocytes, at concentrations up to 5 wt%, and non-skin sensitizer. A positive effect on the stimulation of pro-collagen I alpha 1 suggests a potential anti-ageing activity, while the migration of fibroblasts to a wounded area suggests a regenerative capacity. Under an accelerated stability study, biogenic silica showed an increase on the loss on drying, but no changes were observed on its functional properties, mainly oil absorption capacity, as well the microbiological quality, which was maintained. Overall, novel biogenic silica microparticles produced from a sustainable source are safe, stable over time and have potential to be used as a cosmetic and skincare ingredient.