Investigation of potential use of propolis as a biopreservative in natural hair care cosmetics

The demand for natural products has increased in the cosmetics sector, which directly affects human health, as in every sector, and petroleum-derived, toxic, mutagenic and chemical raw materials have begun to give way to natural and/or nature-identical raw materials. However, preservatives that must be used in cosmetic products, which are very suitable for microorganism growth, are still obtained from synthetic and petroleum-derived raw materials. In this study, after the content analysis of propolis, which has started to be used as a preservative in the food industry, its bioprotective effect in a shampoo formulated using medicinal and aromatic plants was investigated, and microbiological analyses, antimicrobial activity and stability analyses of the formulas obtained by adding different amounts of propolis were performed. Propolis, which is known to have a toxic effect especially on cancer cells and is used in cancer treatment, was also investigated for its toxic effect on keratinocyte cells, also known as skin cells. As a result of the study, it was determined that propolis can be used as a biopreservative after a certain amount, but care should be taken to ensure that it does not have a toxic effect on the skin when determining this amount.