EVALUATION OF SURFACE ACTIVITY OF SOME SAPONIN-CONTAINING PLANT EXTRACTS

Abstract

At present, an urgent task in the development of natural cosmetic compositions is the search for natural surfactants. Of particular interest among them are plant saponins capable of forming micelles in aqueous solutions, showing cleansing and emulsifying properties. Saponin-containing extracts were obtained from the leaves of Agave americana L., Hedera helix L. and Yucca gloriosa L., rhizome of Ruscus aculeatus L. and seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum L. Using modern, including foreign, methods and technologies, the chemical nature of saponins in plant extracts was revealed, the foam number and foam index of extracts, as well as their surface tension were calculated. A soap solution of neutral bar soap served as a control sample. Steroidal glycosides were found in the extracts of A. americana, Y. gloriosa and R. aculeatus, while triterpene glycosides were found in H. helix and A. hippocastanum. Most of the plant extracts and soap solution have medium foaming index, A. americana leaf extract - low. The highest values of foaming index were observed for 0,1 % aqueous extract of H. helix leaves (1428) and 0.2 % extract of A. hippocastanum seeds (1250). The surface tension values of these extracts were 61.0 mNm^-1 (A. hippocastanum seed extract) and 49.4 mNm^-1 (H. helix leaf extract), while those of the soap solution were 34.2 mNm^-1. Among the studied plant extracts, H. helix leaf extract is characterized by the highest foaming activity and is able to reduce the surface tension of the solution up to 49.4 mNm^-1. This extract is recommended for the development of emulsion cosmetic products.