Revealing the potential of cyanobacteria in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals - A new bioactive approach

The growing concern over appearance, health and aging has driven the exploration for cosmetics based on natural sources. Alongside with plants, algae and eukaryotic microalgae, cyanobacteria have been explored for the isolation of compounds with potential application in the cosmetic and cosmeceutical field. The long evolutionary history of cyanobacteria and exposure to environmental stress conditions seems to be the basis for the production of compounds with protective roles against external factors, such as desiccation, UV radiation and salinity. The production of exopolysaccharides, UV-protectors such as mycrosporine like amino acids and scytonemin, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, by a wide range of cyanobacteria genera, coupled with a growing demand for natural origin products, places these organisms in the investigation line linked to cosmetics. The low nutritional requirements for large scale culture and the possibility to increase compounds production by manipulating culture conditions, also highlights the importance of these organisms as an alternative and a promising source for cosmetics based on nature. In this review, a general overview of the state of the art regarding the potential of cyanobacteria for the cosmetic and cosmeceutical industry is provided, emphasizing the main properties required in skin care formulations.