Development of Phyto-cosmetic Herbal Sindoor from Rosa indica L. and Its Characterization

Aim: The objective of this research study was to develop a liquid herbal sindoor containing flower petal extract of Rosa indica L., and to evaluate the stability, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the developed formulation.

Place and Duration of Study: The formulation was prepared in the Phytochemistry Division of CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute. The duration of the study period was 90 days.

Methodology: The crude ethanolic extract of R. indica flowers was incorporated into a base for the preparation of liquid herbal sindoor. The antioxidant activity of this herbal product was evaluated according to the DPPH radical scavenging method, and the stability study of the formulation was evaluated for 90 days. The antibacterial activity was performed on those strains of bacteria, which are responsible for several skin infections using Disc Diffusion Assay.The HPLC- DAD analysis identified the anthocyanins cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside and pelargonidin 3,5-diglucoside in R. indica, flower extract.

Results and Discussion: The formulation showed antioxidant activity and its stability was assessed in terms of pH values and color stability of the flower extract. It was observed that both these properties did not show any significant changes.

Conclusion: The prepared herbal liquid sindoor was found safe to use having a potential to substitute the toxic lead tetraoxide (Pb3O4) containing sindoor available in the market.