The rationale for splitting the resin into two infusions lies in its fundamentally dual nature. Frankincense resin is composed of three fractions: a volatile oil responsible for its characteristic aroma, an alcohol-soluble resin fraction rich in pentacyclic triterpenic acids known as boswellic acids, and a water-soluble gum fraction consisting mainly of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. The boswellic acids, including β-boswellic acid, 11-keto-β-boswellic acid, and acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, are lipophilic molecules that have been reported to modulate inflammatory pathways by inhibiting pro-inflammatory enzymes such as 5-lipoxygenase and human leukocyte elastase. The gum fraction, by contrast, holds hydrophilic polysaccharides that can contribute to skin hydration and barrier support. Capturing both in one topical product, the researchers reasoned, could deliver complementary bioactives through a single emulsion.

To prepare the infusions, the team ground the resin into a fine powder with a household coffee grinder to maximize surface area, then macerated 10-gram portions separately in 40 grams of sweet almond oil and 40 grams of Madinah rosewater. Each mixture was heated to 75 °C for one hour with occasional stirring, allowed to stand at room temperature for three days, and filtered through muslin cloth. The resulting oil and water infusions were stored in amber bottles under refrigeration until analysis. The extraction conditions were deliberately gentle, avoiding organic solvents entirely, which the authors argue preserves the all-natural character of the final cosmetic product.

Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed sharply distinct chemical profiles in the two media. The oil infusion gave strong positive reactions in the Salkowski and Liebermann-Burchard tests, confirming abundant triterpenoids and steroids, while the acetylation test detected hydroxyl functional groups characteristic of boswellic acid derivatives. The water infusion told a different story: a vigorous foam test indicated saponins, Dragendorff’s and Mayer’s reagent tests revealed trace alkaloids, and Fehling’s and Molisch tests pointed to reducing sugars and carbohydrates. Ferric chloride testing showed only faint phenolic responses in both infusions. These results confirmed that maceration in almond oil preferentially pulled the lipophilic terpenic and resinous constituents into solution, while rosewater extracted the hydrophilic polysaccharides, saponins, and minor alkaloids.

Antioxidant activity was assessed with the DPPH free radical scavenging assay, a widely used colorimetric method in which the purple DPPH radical loses absorbance at 517 nm as antioxidants neutralize it. Four samples were compared: plain almond oil, the frankincense oil infusion, plain rosewater, and the frankincense rosewater infusion. The oil infusion dominated, achieving 71 percent inhibition at a concentration of 343.46 ± 34.2 μg/mL. The rosewater infusion followed with 57 percent inhibition at 275.74 ± 46.4 μg/mL, plain rosewater showed 53 percent at 256.39 ± 38.9 μg/mL, and plain almond oil trailed at 40 percent and 193.50 ± 28.1 μg/mL. The standard antioxidant gallic acid reached 97 percent inhibition at 483.75 ± 27.4 μg/mL. The strong performance of the oil infusion, the authors attribute to its abundance of lipophilic boswellic acids and terpenoids, many of which are known to neutralize free radicals and modulate oxidative pathways.

With both infusions characterized, the team formulated a water-in-oil cream using a simple beeswax-almond oil-rosewater base. The oil phase combined 30 grams of frankincense oil infusion with 7.5 grams of beeswax and was heated to 75 °C until the wax melted. The aqueous phase, 14 to 23 grams of frankincense rosewater infusion depending on the batch, was heated separately to the same temperature and then added slowly into the oily phase with continuous stirring. The mixture was cooled while stirring until it thickened into a smooth, homogeneous cream. A plain control cream was prepared identically using uninfused almond oil and rosewater. Beeswax served triple duty as emulsifier, thickener, and semi-occlusive barrier former, while almond oil contributed vitamin E and emollient properties and Madinah rosewater added aroma, cooling effects, and its own antioxidant and antibacterial constituents.

Physicochemical evaluation showed the frankincense cream outperforming the plain control in several respects. The infusion-based formulation displayed an appealing fawn color, a pleasant aroma from its volatile oils and terpenoids, and a pH of 7.28, within the acceptable range for topical products though slightly above the skin’s natural surface pH of about 5.5. Its viscosity of approximately 1,200 centipoise was somewhat lower than the plain cream’s 1,350 centipoise, and rheological testing revealed shear-thinning behavior, a desirable non-Newtonian property that allows the cream to spread easily under mechanical stress while remaining stable at rest. Spreadability testing showed the frankincense cream spreading in 7 seconds versus 8 to 10 seconds for the plain version, and it washed off skin more readily.

Stability testing delivered the study’s most encouraging formulation results. Stored at 4 °C, room temperature, and 40 °C, and subjected to three freeze-thaw cycles, the frankincense cream showed no visible phase separation, liquefaction, or grittiness, whereas the plain cream exhibited a little phase separation and immediate liquefaction. The authors suggest that interactions between the resin’s boswellic acids and the cream’s lipid phase may have reinforced the structural matrix, consistent with reports that bioactive compounds in other herbal creams, such as those containing lavender and aloe vera, enhance thermal resilience. Delayed liquefaction between 40 and 60 °C further indicated improved thermal stability over the control.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy provided chemical confirmation that the manufacturing process preserved the resin’s functional groups. The pure resin spectrum showed characteristic absorption bands at 3,382 cm⁻¹ for hydroxyl stretching and at 2,971, 1,711, 1,452, 1,378, 1,264, 1,048, and 880 cm⁻¹ for carbon-hydrogen stretching, carbonyl stretching, and other vibrations. The oil and water infusions displayed modified but recognizable peak patterns confirming successful extraction of both lipophilic and hydrophilic resin components. Critically, the final cream spectrum retained bands at 3,451, 2,921, 1,744, 1,462, 1,375, 1,238, 1,029, and 723 cm⁻¹, matching the frankincense functional groups, along with peaks at 1,653 and 1,514 cm⁻¹ resembling the water infusion. The plain cream lacked these bands entirely, and the similarity between the plain and frankincense cream spectra indicated no significant chemical interactions between the resin constituents and the cream base.

The authors are careful to frame the work as preliminary. The phytochemical characterization was qualitative only, so future studies should quantify specific boswellic acids, terpenes, and polysaccharides using HPLC, LC-MS, or GC-MS to correlate chemistry with activity. The DPPH assay, though widely employed, is a chemical model rather than a biological one, and complementary cell-based antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays are needed. Cytotoxicity testing in keratinocyte or fibroblast cell lines, in vitro skin permeation studies, and formal irritancy and sensitization testing must precede any clinical evaluation, and formulation adjustments should bring the pH closer to the skin’s natural acidity. Molecular docking and mechanistic investigations could clarify how boswellic acids interact with targets in oxidative stress and skin aging pathways. Still, the study demonstrates that an ancient resin can be transformed, using nothing more exotic than almond oil, rosewater, and beeswax, into a stable modern emulsion that eliminates alcohol, mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, and propylene glycol. With its dual oil- and water-soluble bioactive fractions, frankincense resin offers a genuinely multifunctional opportunity for natural anti-aging skincare, pending the safety and bioavailability studies that will determine whether the laboratory promise translates to the pharmacy shelf.

Subject of Research: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Article Title: Qualitative phytochemical profiling, antioxidant activity, and development of a water-in-oil cream containing combined oil and water infusions of frankincense resin (Boswellia spp.): a preliminary in vitro study

Article References: Javed, S., Salawi, A., Moni, S. S., Ahsan, W., Khuwaja, G., Alam, M. S., Sivadasan, D., Jabeen, A., Aziabi, M. Y., Suwaydi, H. M., Alajam, T. E. M., Nammazi, A. Y. M., & Kadumi, N. M. A. (2026). Qualitative phytochemical profiling, antioxidant activity, and development of a water-in-oil cream containing combined oil and water infusions of frankincense resin (Boswellia spp.): a preliminary in vitro study. Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, 29, Article 15609. https://doi.org/10.3389/jpps.2026.15609

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/jpps.2026.15609

Keywords: frankincense, Boswellia, boswellic acids, antioxidant, cosmetics, cream formulation, DPPH, natural skincare, Qualitative, phytochemical, profiling, activity

The study, led by Sarah Boukhalkhal of Amar Telidji University in Laghouat, Algeria, set out with three interlocking goals: to isolate and chemically characterize lycopene from tomato, to quantify its antioxidant and antimicrobial potency in vitro, and to embed the purified pigment into a stable emulgel formulation suitable for topical application. Each stage of the work built on the previous one, moving from bench chemistry to formulation science in a single pipeline, and the results collectively argue that lycopene deserves a place among the serious candidates for plant-based sun protection.

Purification and identification came first. The researchers used thin-layer chromatography to separate the pigment from the crude tomato extract, then confirmed its identity with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. These techniques revealed the characteristic spectral fingerprint of polyene carotenoids, the long conjugated double-bond chains that give lycopene its deep red color and, crucially, its ability to absorb light and neutralize reactive molecules. The conjugated polyene system is the molecular secret behind everything that followed: it allows the molecule to quench singlet oxygen and free radicals with remarkable efficiency, a property that has long made lycopene one of the most studied carotenoids in biomedical literature.

The antioxidant performance of the purified compound was striking. In the DPPH free-radical scavenging assay, the purified lycopene achieved an IC50 value of 3.2 micrograms per milliliter, meaning that a very small concentration was enough to neutralize half of the free radicals in the test system. Lower IC50 values indicate stronger antioxidant activity, and this figure compared favorably with reference antioxidant compounds. The team also measured the pigment’s reducing power, which reflects its capacity to donate electrons and thereby terminate radical chain reactions, and found it superior to the reference compounds used for comparison. In a third test, the beta-carotene and linoleic acid bleaching system, which models the protection of lipids against peroxidation, the lycopene again demonstrated a strong protective effect. Together, these three complementary assays paint a consistent picture of a molecule that intercepts oxidative damage through multiple chemical mechanisms rather than a single pathway.

The antimicrobial results may prove equally consequential. Lycopene showed significant activity against a panel of skin-relevant pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Micrococcus luteus, as well as the yeast Candida albicans and several Gram-negative bacteria responsible for skin and soft-tissue infections. The activity against MRSA is particularly noteworthy given the global crisis of antibiotic resistance and the urgent need for topical agents that can help manage colonized or infected skin without contributing further to resistance. Previous studies have suggested that lycopene disrupts microbial cytoplasmic membranes and can trigger reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction in Candida albicans, and the new findings align with that mechanistic picture, although the authors of the current study did not set out to resolve the mechanism themselves.

With the purified pigment validated on two fronts, the team turned to formulation. An emulgel, a hybrid dosage form that combines the hydration and spreadability of an emulsion with the cooling, non-greasy feel of a gel, was chosen as the vehicle. The researchers prepared several formulations containing different amounts of lycopene and subjected each to physical stability testing, pH measurement, viscosity analysis, and homogeneity assessment. The standout was a formulation designated F1, containing 0.01 grams of lycopene, which remained physically stable and displayed an appropriate pH and viscosity for skin application, along with a homogeneous consistency. These parameters matter enormously in practice: a sunscreen that separates in the tube, irritates the skin because of an unbalanced pH, or feels unpleasant to apply will fail commercially no matter how active its ingredients are.

The photoprotection data were the headline result. Using an in vitro spectrophotometric method, the team calculated the sun protection factor of the F1 emulgel and obtained a value of 38.8, which the authors describe as comparable to commercial SPF 50+ sunscreens. The in vitro SPF determination works by measuring the absorbance of the formulation across the ultraviolet spectrum and applying a mathematical weighting that accounts for the solar irradiance spectrum and the erythemal action spectrum of human skin. While in vitro values do not automatically translate to in vivo performance on human volunteers, a result of this magnitude from a single natural pigment, without synthetic UV filters, is remarkable and points to the strong intrinsic UV-absorbing capacity of lycopene’s conjugated double-bond system.

The broader scientific context strengthens the case. Lycopene has long been recognized as one of the most efficient biological singlet oxygen quenchers known, a distinction established in landmark work from the late 1980s. Epidemiological and dietary studies have associated lycopene-rich tomato products with reduced sensitivity to ultraviolet-induced erythema, and cell culture experiments have shown that lycopene protects human skin fibroblasts from UVA damage. What the new study adds is the formulation step: converting a well-documented biological antioxidant into a physically stable, topically applicable product whose photoprotective performance can be quantified against commercial benchmarks. Earlier attempts at lycopene emulgels and microemulsions have explored similar territory, but the combination of purified compound, rigorous chemical characterization, antimicrobial screening against resistant strains, and high SPF measurement in a single study is unusual.

The implications reach beyond sunscreens. A single plant-derived ingredient that offers antioxidant defense, antimicrobial action against both resistant bacteria and fungi, and measurable UV protection addresses several cosmetic and dermatological needs at once. This multifunctionality could simplify product formulations, reduce reliance on synthetic preservatives and chemical UV filters, and appeal to the fast-growing market for natural and sustainable skincare. The researchers caution, appropriately, that further research and applications are needed before such a product reaches consumers. Clinical trials on human skin, long-term stability studies under real-world storage conditions, photostability testing to confirm that the lycopene itself does not degrade under sunlight, and safety and irritation assessments would all be required by regulators before any SPF claim could appear on a label.

Nevertheless, the study is a compelling proof of concept that the humble tomato contains a molecule capable of doing serious work on human skin. The research was conducted at the Laboratory of Fundamental Sciences of Amar Telidji University and in collaboration with the LAQV-REQUIMTE research unit at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, and it received no external funding. As the cosmetics industry searches for credible plant-based alternatives to synthetic UV filters, and as dermatologists look for new topical tools against resistant skin pathogens, lycopene has now demonstrated in a single, carefully controlled study that it can plausibly serve both masters. The next chapter, moving from the spectrophotometer to human skin, will determine whether the tomato’s red pigment can graduate from promising laboratory candidate to genuine ingredient on the sunscreen shelf.

Subject of Research: Lycopene-based emulgel formulation from tomato with antioxidant, antimicrobial and photoprotective properties

Article Title: Antioxidant, antimicrobial and photoprotective activities of a lycopene-based emulgel from Solanum lycopersicum

Article References: Boukhalkhal, S., Elhouiti, F., Zegrir, A., Saidat, B., Pinto, D. C. G. A., Silva, A. M. S., Válega, M. S. G. A., Dakmoussi, B. I., Derreche, Y., & Yousfi, M. (2026). Antioxidant, antimicrobial and photoprotective activities of a lycopene-based emulgel from Solanum lycopersicum. Plant Biosystems, 160(4), Article 222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44473-026-00226-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44473-026-00226-1

Keywords: lycopene, tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, emulgel, sun protection factor, photoprotection, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, MRSA, Candida albicans, carotenoids, natural skincare