Spectrophotometric estimation of curcumin in herbal face cream

Aim/Objectives: Before using plant material in cosmetics, it is important to properly identify the plant, standardize it, and use the standardized form. The prevalence of misbranded and/or spurious herbal cosmetics necessitated the regulation on their import, manufacture, sell and distribution. Hence, the study focuses on the development of a precise and reliable method for quantifying curcumin in herbal face creams. Curcumin, a frequently used phyto-constituent in these creams obtained from Curcuma longa L. (CL)belongs to the family Zingiberaceae, is known for its anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties. The proposed colorimetric method is not only accurate and reproducible, but it also has the potential to greatly contribute to the quality control and standardization of herbal cosmetics. Materials and methods: Standard methods were followed for preparation of in-house formulation and evaluation. In-house formulation was compared with four marketed samples. Results and Conclusion: Marketed samples were found to be at lower side in respect of curcumin content but comparable with in-house formulation. Although the sample number was small, the method is cost effective and gave reproducible and rapid results, hence could serve as a commercial method for standardization. The study was found to be commendable and holds great promise for the herbal cosmetics industry.