Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL5 biosurfactants as alternative to chemical surfactants for application in eco-friendly cosmetics and skincare products.

Cosmetics have been extremely popular throughout history and continue to be so today. Cosmetic and personal care products, including toothpaste, shampoo, lotions, and makeup, are typically made with petroleum-based surfactants. Currently, there is an increasing demand to enhance the sustainability of surface-active compounds in dermal formulations. Biosurfactants, derived from living cells, are considered more environmentally friendly than synthetic surfactants. Thus, the use of biosurfactants is a promising strategy for formulating more environmentally friendly and sustainable dermal products. Biosurfactants have the potential to replace chemical surface-active agents in the cosmetic sector due to their multifunctional qualities, such as foaming, emulsifying, and skin-moisturizing activities.In this study, two glycolipopeptide biosurfactants derived from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL5 were used as stabilizing factors in oil-in-water emulsions in the presence of coconut oils. Both biosurfactants increased emulsion stability, particularly in the 1:3 ratio, dispersion, and droplet size. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the two Lactiplantibacillus plantarum biosurfactants was assessed on B lymphocytes and MCF-7 cells. Overall, the results gathered herein are very promising for the development of new green cosmetic formulations.