Polysaccharide Applications in Cosmetic

The skin protects our body against various environmental, chemical, and physical agents. Over time, skin loses elastin fibers, collagen, and other proteins due to the aging process enhanced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and pollutants. Therefore, the development of skincare, which can prevent aging, is the main challenge of the cosmetic industry. The use of polysaccharides as ingredients in cosmetics has increased due to their biological benefits such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiaging properties. Polysaccharides are abundantly available in nature and easily degraded by nature and, therefore, do not cause environmental damage. This chapter reviews the potential polysaccharides, with antioxidant, antiaging, antibacterial, and moisturizing properties, to be used as raw material in cosmetics. However, the difficulties in the purification process and the need to understand the mechanism remain bottlenecks for using polysaccharides.