Tanzila Khiljee 1 , Naveed Akhtar 1 , Sonia Khiljee 2,*, Bushra Khiljee 2 , Hafiz Majid Rasheed 3 , Siddique Akber Ansari 4 , Hamad M. Alkahtani 4 and Irfan Aamer Ansari 5

1  Faculty of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicines, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab 63100, Pakistan; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (T.K.); 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (N.A.)

2  Shahida Islam College of Pharmacy, Shahida Islam Medical Complex, Lodhran 59320, Pakistan; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

3  Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore 54590, Pakistan; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

4  Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (S.A.A.); 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (H.M.A.)

5  Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 * Correspondence: 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

Abstract: Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the moisturizing efficacy of quince fruit, used in folk medicine. For this purpose, the phytoconstituents of Cydonia oblonga fruit extract, like phenolics and flavonoids, were determined. A stable cosmetic emulgel containing 4% Cydonia oblonga fresh fruit extract was formulated and subjected to in vivo evaluation compared with a control. Materials and Methods: Cydonia oblonga fresh fruit extract was evaluated for tyrosinase activity and phenolic and flavonoid content. A stable emulgel containing 4% Cydonia oblonga fresh fruit extract was formulated and tested in a skin irritation test. After this, in vivo tests of erythema, moisture, sebum, and skin elasticity were conducted. The in vivo evaluation was a randomized and single-blind study. Thirteen healthy female volunteers were selected for a three-month study period. Results: Cydonia oblonga fruit extract showed good phenolic and flavonoid content, which was associated with its good antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibiting activity. Cydonia oblonga containing the emulgel showed a reduction in sebum and erythema, while the elasticity and moisture content showed increments in their levels after the three-month application of the formulation. The fruit contains chlorogenic acid and many sugars, which might account for its anti-inflammatory and sebum reduction effects; it is also capable of enhancing the skin’s hydration level and decreasing skin sagging by enhancing its elasticity. Conclusion: The emulgel loaded with Cydonia oblonga fresh fruit extract is verified regarding its folklore status as a moisturizing agent that enhances the facial skin cells’ resilience potential.

Keywords: quince; in vivo assessment; moisturizer; chlorogenic acid; facial skin resilience

Citation: Khiljee, T.; Akhtar, N.; Khiljee, S.; Khiljee, B.; Rasheed, H.M.; Ansari, S.A.; Alkahtani, H.M.; Ansari, I.A. Gauging Quince Phytonutrients and Its 4% Emulgel Effect on Amplifying Facial Skin Moisturizing Potential. Gels 2023, 9, 934. https:// doi.org/10.3390/gels9120934 Academic Editors: Carla Villa and Eleonora Russo

Received: 9 October 2023

Revised: 6 November 2023

Accepted: 15 November 2023

Published: 28 November 2023

Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).