Produção de cosmético utilizando a planta Cymbopogon citratus (capim-cidreira)

Abstract

Natural cosmetics have been gaining ground in the national and global cosmetics sector. More and more consumers are opting for cosmetics with formulations that contain fewer synthetic substances harmful to health, such as parabens, sulfates, and petrolatums, and that have more ingredients sourced from nature. Within this concept, this work seeks to propose an alternative formulation for the production of solid shampoos and body soaps by adding the medicinal plant Cymbopogon citratus to its composition, popularly known as lemongrass, which possesses anti-inflammatory effects. For this purpose, the powder of the plant's leaves will be obtained through dehydration and drying, followed by the development of cosmetics using formulations cultivated in previous studies. To achieve this, the methodological approach adopted involved exploratory research conducted through the development and qualitative analysis of the cosmetic products. Thus, powdered and dried lemongrass was obtained, achieving a good yield of 35 %, and a drying equilibrium time of 100 minutes, as well as producing the cosmetics solid shampoo and glycerinated soap, applying different percentages of plant concentration in the formulation. Different results were observed in the analyzes for each concentration, as well as differences in organoleptic characteristics, wear rate, pH, water retention and resistance to light exposure. However, for better results from both cosmetics, the need for a formulation with a concentration of less than 5 % of dry and powdered lemongrass was indicated. In this context, the central objective of the work was to study the development of shampoos and solid soaps, innovating by fully incorporating the plant, without generating waste from it and without the use of chemical solvents; which proved to be possible and viable, when using the plant in natura.