Skin hydration is one of the main factors affecting the health and radiant appearance of the skin. Due to external and internal factors, the skin's water content can decrease, leading to dry, inflexible, and irritated skin. As prevention or care of such skin, we use cosmetic products with a moisturizing effect.
As part of the thesis, we obtained information on general knowledge of natural cosmetics and skin hydration, as well as the use of moisturizing cosmetic products. We made a hydrogel with extract of white fir (Abies alba) wood and a placebo hydrogel. 30 volunteers evaluated the sensory properties of hydrogels, while at the same time we performed measurements of radiance, hydration, melanin and erythema index, and skin pH on 10 volunteers. The testing was carried out for three weeks, and we wanted to prove the effect of white fir wood extract primarily on skin hydration.
In the sensory evaluation, we discovered that the majority of volunteers were satisfied with hydrogels. Placebo hydrogel was more popular because of its milder smell and neutral color. Most volunteers liked the consistency of both hydrogels, as well as the spreadabilitiy and absorption of the hydrogels. After three weeks of use, a better effect on the skin was observed when using the test hydrogel with white fir wood extract. The most significant change when using the test hydrogel was observed in softness of the skin and the majority believed the moisture of the skin had also improved. Skin hydration increased after the third week of both test and placebo hydrogel use, however, no significant increase was observed in relation to the hydrogel type. The glow of the skin didn’t increase significantly, which also coincides with the results of the questionnaires, where volunteers didn’t notice significant changes in the glow of the skin. By measuring the melanin and erythema index, we placed volunteers in the selected skin phototype according to the Fitzpatrick scale and observed the effect of the test hydrogel on the melanin content in the skin and we also checked the effect on erythema. The test hydrogel had neither a significant nor a negative effect on the erythema. We also evaluated the pH of the skin on the face, specifically on the area of cheekbones. The values were comparable throughout the measurements, which we were satisfied with, as we don’t want these values to change drastically.
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