review · RSC Advances
Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin condition marked by blocked hair follicles resulting from dead skin cells, sebum buildup, and Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. Although conventional treatments such as antibiotics, keratolytics, corticosteroids, and hormonal therapies exist, they can cause serious adverse effects. Consequently, natural sources from plants and marine environments are being explored as safer alternatives. Natural phytochemicals, including terpenes, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, saponins, tannins, and essential oils, offer relevant biological actions such as antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, keratolytic, and sebum-reducing properties. Extracted from various plant structures such as leaves, roots, seeds, and bark, these active compounds can be formulated into various topical dosage forms to improve skin penetration. Medicinal compounds derived from marine life also present useful avenues for managing acne symptoms alongside traditional herbal approaches.
Acne affects millions of people globally and can cause lasting physical and emotional consequences. While existing synthetic drugs help clear lesions, their side effects limit long-term use. Highlighting active compounds found in plants and marine resources provides a pathway to developing gentle, effective skincare and medical treatments based on validated natural chemistries.
The findings outline opportunities for dermatological and cosmetic companies to formulate novel topical acne products using botanical and marine extracts. These active ingredients could replace or supplement synthetic keratolytics and antibacterials. Because this review synthesises existing research and traditional knowledge on candidate compounds, prospective commercial products remain in the early to exploratory formulation stage, requiring dosage form development and targeted penetration testing before market entry.
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Acne is a long-standing skin condition characterized by plugged hair follicles due to the accumulation of dead skin cells, sebum, and <i>Propionibacterium acnes</i> (<i>P. acnes</i>) bacteria, causing inflammation, and the formation of pimples or lesions. Acne was recognized in the ancient times by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Since ancient times, folk medicine from different cultures have comprised herbal and natural products for the treatment of acne. Current acne medications include antibiotics, keratolytics, corticosteroids, in addition to hormonal therapy for women. However, these conventional drugs can cause some serious side effects. And therefore, seeking new safe treatment options from natural sources is essential. Plants can be a potential source of medicinal phytochemicals which can be pharmacologically active as antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, keratolytic and sebum-reducing. Organic acids, obtained from natural sources, are commonly used as keratolytics in dermatology and cosmetology. Most of the promising phytochemicals in acne treatment belong to terpenes, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, saponins, tannins, and essential oils. These can be extracted from leaves, bark, roots, rhizomes, seeds, and fruits of plants and may be incorporated in different dosage forms to facilitate their penetration through the skin. Additionally, medicinal compounds from marine sources can also contribute to acne treatment. This review will discuss the pathogenesis, types and consequences of acne, side effects of conventional treatment, current possible treatment options from natural sources obtained from research and folk medicine and possible applied dosage forms.
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DOI: 10.1039/d4ra03865g
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