Evaluación de la Capacidad Conservante de los Aceites Esenciales de Thymus Vulgaris y Salvia Officinalis en una Formulación Cosmética

Objective: The bioactives that are present in essential oils have antimicrobial properties that can be used as preservatives. This research aims to evaluate the efficacy of Thymus vulgaris and Salvia officinalis essential oils as cosmetic preservatives. Methods: The ingredients used for the cosmetic formulation were reviewed and selected in the COSING database, Salvia officinalis and Thymus vulgaris essential oils were added at 0.5% and 1.5% concentrations, E. coli ATCC 8739, P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027, S. aureus ATCC 6538, C. albicans ATCC 10231 and A. brasiliensis ATCC 16404 were inoculated to the formulations, respectively; the efficacy of the oils as preservatives was evaluated at different time intervals using the Challenge test, comparing them with a commercial preservative. Results: Thymus vulgaris essential oil such as Salvia officinalis at 0.5% and 1.5% concentration inhibited microbial growth for the first 7 days. On day 14, microbial growth of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans was evidenced in formulations with 0.5% Thymus vulgaris essential oil; The Thymus vulgaris at 1.5% and Salvia officinalis at 0.5% formulations inhibited the growth of C. albicans and A. brasiliensis during the 28 days. Salvia officinalis at 1.5% inhibited the microorganism proliferation except E. coli that started its growth from day 14.Main conclusions: Cosmetic formulations with Salvia officinalis essential oil at 1.5% have efficacy as a preservative in the microbial inhibition of the different certified strains, this allows us to conclude that this species has antimicrobial properties, being an alternative as a broad-spectrum preservative for the cosmetic industry.