Scientists have created a dark red lipstick using cranberry extract. The new cosmetic product has antibacterial properties and is safe to share with other people, writes the American Chemical Society’s “Applied Materials & Interfaces” publication.
Lipstick has been used since the time of Ancient Egypt. In ancient times, the beauty product was prepared from natural oils and coloring pigments, but with the development of the chemical industry, the components became synthetic. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in natural ingredients, such as dragon fruit pigment, which helps create vibrant colors while inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.
Angel Serrano-Arocca of the Catholic University of Valencia and his colleagues decided to use cranberry extract to create a dark red lipstick with antimicrobial properties. The authors mixed the extract with a creamy lipstick base that contained shea butter, vitamin E, provitamin B5, babassu oil, and avocado oil.
The specialists did experiments in which the mixture was added to cultures containing different viruses, bacteria and a type of fungus.
Both types of virus were completely killed within one minute of contact with the cranberry extract cream. Drug-resistant bacteria and fungus were largely eradicated within five hours of application of the mixture. The researchers suggest that the lipstick’s new formula may provide protection against various pathogens, making it safer to share with other people.
