World Journal of

Applied Pharmaceutics World J Appl Pharm 2023; 1(1): 7-13

REVIEW ARTICLE

Formulation and evaluation of herbal mascara by using Xanthan Gum

AKSHAY R YADAV1*, VAIBHAVI A SOUNDATTI2

1 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Rajarambapu College of Pharmacy, Kasegaon, Sangli, Maharashtra, India-415404
2 Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India-416013

*Author for Correspondence: Email: [email protected]

ARTICLE DETAILS ABSTRACT

Article history: Mascara is a cosmetic that is widely used to enhance eyelashes. It can darken the
Received on 26 February 2021 eyelashes, thicken, lengthen, and/or describe them. The modern mascara
Modified on 15 October 2022 formulation usually has different formulations in one of three forms-liquid,
Accepted on 21 October 2022 powder, or cream; however, most contain the same basic components of pigments,
oils, waxes, and preservatives. A liquid in a tube is the most common form of
Keywords: mascara. The present study was carried out using xanthan gum as a natural
Mascara, polymer to formulate herbal mascara. Xanthan gum polymer was used due to the
Xanthan Gum, side effects of the available synthesis. By the o/w emulsion method, various
Formulation, batches of herbal mascaras were prepared and evaluated on the parameters viz.,
Evaluation. skin irritation and patch test.

© IDAAM Publications All rights reserved

INTRODUCTION inexpensive and easy to use gum is by far the

The sign of beauty is the eyes. Every woman's most widely used natural gum in cosmetics and
dream was to possess long, thick and dark is extracted from the fermentation of the
eyelashes associated with increased levels of Xanthomonas Campestris plant bacteria. In
beauty, trust and well-being. Mascara, an eye vegetable glycerin, this anionic polysaccharide
cosmetic that darkens, lengthens and thickens can disperse, but not hydrate. Xanthan gum is
eyelashes momentarily [1]. Typically the modern commonly used because it is compatible and
mascara product has different formulations in readily available and flexible with most
one of three forms-liquid, cake, or cream; ingredients used in cosmetics. In hot or cold
however, most contain the same basic water, Xanthan gum can hydrate and produce a
components of pigments, oils, waxes, and hazy yet neutral pH solution [5].
preservatives. The natural beauty of the eyes is
enhanced and accentuated by painting, This gum can produce a gel that can handle the
lengthening, thickening or filling out there [2]. addition of a wide variety of active ingredients
that are water-soluble. With galactomannans like
They come in many different colours, but black, Konjac, Xanthan is also highly synergistic. The
brown, green or blue are the most common. For viscosity of the gel can increase significantly
colours, mineral pigments are used. In when Xanthan is combined with Konjac. Xanthan
pharmaceutical formulations, natural polymers is also heat and shearing resistant, making the
are commonly utilized [3]. In nature, they are gels produced with Xanthan extremely stable.
biodegradable and usually nontoxic. The This is particularly helpful if you deliver your
pharmaceutical application of rosin is defined in goods to hot and humid places or in high heat.
this study. Rosin is derived from Pinuspalustris Mascara is a beauty product that gives the eye
as a natural non-volatile resinous mass [4]. The lashes a distinct appearance. On eye lashes, it
physico-chemical characteristics and ease of amplifies length, curls, reinforces. You need
availability of rosin provide a platform for the mascara that adds some intensity and duration
film forming agent to use it as a polymer. This to the lashes whether they are short, sparse, fine
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or brittle. In the industry, there are so many composed of galena; malachite; and charcoal or
formulations available [6]. Xanthan Gum is a soot, crocodile stool; honey; and water [8]. In the
polysaccharide which is formed by Xanthomonas subsequent Babylonian, Greek and Roman
camprestris bacteria. The fermentation process empires, the use of kohl persisted through the
starts when this bacteria is put into a culture influence of Egypt. Kohl fell into disuse on the
containing carbohydrates, and Xanthan Gum is European continent after the fall of the Roman
produced as a by-product. It is isolated, dried Empire, where it was considered solely a
and processed into a fine powder once Xanthan cosmetic; conversely, it continued to be widely
gum is produced. used for religious purposes in the Middle East [9].

Typically, the carbohydrates used to make Social opinion shifted radically to the promotion
Xanthan Gum derive from soy, wheat or maize. of cosmetics during the Victorian era, and
Xanthan Gum Clear is a cosmetic grade of women were known to spend most of their day
Xanthan Gum that has been fermented occupied with beauty regimens. In order to
specifically for cosmetic production create the illusion of long, dark eyelashes, great
requirements, giving it a lower micron count efforts have been made. Victorian women made a
(80), resulting in clearer formulations and better type of mascara in their own homes in an
stability than standard Xanthan gum. The gum attempt to do this. They would heat on a plate a
forms a transparent thickener which, without mixture of ash or lamp black and elderberry juice
adding colour, can be used in products. As the and apply their eyelashes with the heated
thickening is stable and temperature resistant, mixture. It was not until the 19th century that
the Xanthan gum is particularly suited for the product that people would recognise as
cosmetic use. The special formulation easily mascara today evolved [10]. Using the newly
thickens and blends well with other surfactants, invented petroleum jelly, a chemist named
emulsifiers, essential oils, fragrances, dyes, and Eugène Rimmel created a cosmetic. In the
particle suspension aids. Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Romanian,
and Persian languages today, the name Rimmel
The ability to suspend particles makes Xanthan became synonymous with the substance and still
Gum particularly useful for exfoliating translates to "mascara." Thomas Lyle Williams
formulations. Usually, xanthan gum is used created a remarkably similar substance for his
between 0.1% and 0.5%. It is possible to disperse sister Mabel across the Atlantic Ocean, and at
xanthan gum into water and mix it by creating a about the same time, in 1915. In 1917, he started
vortex in the water and then gently sprinkling a product mail-order business that grew to
the xanthan gum into the water. However, the become the Maybelline company. In a set ratio,
easiest and most efficient option is to blend the mascara developed by these two men
Xanthan Gum into Glycerin, where it will create a consisted of petroleum jelly and coal. It was
paste that can be mixed into your formulation undeniably messy, and they soon developed a
easily. Xanthan Gum should be added to the better alternative. A dampened brush was
water component of cream-based formulations rubbed in equal proportions against a cake
and is heat resistant, so it can then be heated and containing soap and black dye and was applied to
combined with oil. Over the next few days after the lashes. It was still extremely messy. Until
production, Xanthan Gum will continue to 1957, with an innovation by Helena Rubinstein,
thicken. The final thickness of the product based no significant improvement took place. In Paris,
on Xanthan Gum will be greatly influenced by the in the early 20th century, the events leading to
amount of shear to which the product was Rubinstein's improvement began. There, in the
subjected during manufacture. The higher the world's fashion capital, mascara was quickly
shear, the thinner the final consistency [7]. gaining popularity and common use. Two giants
in the American beauty industry, Elizabeth Arden
Aesthetic adornment is a cultural universal and and Helena Rubinstein, watched and kept
mascara in ancient Egypt can be documented. abreast of its development. American customers
Records from around 4000 B.C refer to a were excited for new goods after the First World
substance used to darken eyelashes, eyelids, and War. Sensing a shot, Rubinstein and Arden both
eyebrows called kohl. Kohl was used by both launched their own makeup labels that included
men and women to mask their eyes, believed to mascara.
ward off evil spirits and to protect the soul. In
order to keep the kohl from running, it was often

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In American society, mascara eventually The cream was squeezed onto the brush for use
achieved respectability and favour through the and placed on the lashes. It was a step towards
efforts of these two rivals and public the modern mascara product, while still messy.
temperament. The invention of photography and Soon, they patented a grooved rod. The same
motion photography introduced the success and amount of mascara was obtained from this
use of mascara in America. In particular, motion system for each use. The grooved rod was then
pictures advertised a new standard of beauty and modified to a brush similar to those used today.
sex appeal. For their glamorised looks, which the The improvement in the applicator made it much
average woman tried to imitate, popular simpler to use mascara, and its popularity grew.
actresses of the classic movie period, such as With many mascaras, including lash-boosting
Theda Bara, Pola Negri, Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, serums, botanicals, and pro-vitamin-enriched
Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, and Jean Harlow, formulas, mascara is now trending towards
relied heavily on mascara. In 1933, a woman multi-functional use. The advancement of Korean
named in court documents as Mrs. Brown technology is at the forefront, and tubing
decided to permanently dye her eyelashes. formulations are used by a variety of brands to
Unfortunately, as the dyeing agent, the formula, coat the lash.
Lash Lure, used para-phenylenediamine, a
chemical that is highly toxic to the body.

At the time, the Federal Drug Administration had

uncontrolled cosmetics, and the risks of
paraphenylenediamine were unknown. Mrs.
Brown started having significant symptoms of
stinging and burning eyes within hours of the
procedure. Mrs. Brown's eyes had formed ulcers
that oozed and had swollen shut by the next
morning. In Mrs. Brown and fifteen other
women, the use of Lash Lure resulted in
blindness and also caused the death of another
through a bacterial infection.
Figure 2: Mascara
It was only after the Lash Lure case and many
others like it, recorded in the book entitled Properties of the perfect mascara-Rapid dryness,
American Chamber of Horrors by Ruth deForest shine, duration, simple to apply, no allergic
Lamb, that Congress granted the authority to reaction, even pigment. They offer all the
control cosmetics to the Food and Drug properties of a good mascara, but they also have
Administration (FDA) in 1938. Years later, in a harmful effect on the eyes due to their chemical
1957, Rubinstein developed a formula that organic origin. Even some chemicals used in
turned mascara into a lotion-based cream from a mascara, after some time, exhibit carcinogenic
hard cake. In a tube to be sold with a brush, she effects, skin irritation, eye swelling. All
packed the new mascara. ingredients are extracted from plants and
animals in a natural way. In the preparation, less
ingredients (wax, oil, and pigments) are used for
the main purpose of producing herbal mascaras
that do not have any chemical reactivity. It is
more effective than the chemical mascara [13].

Types of Mascara
Cake Mascara
Until the 1960s, the cake or block style was the
most common form of mascara in the twentieth
century. It was known as 'water cosmetique' or
'mascaro' in the nineteenth century, and it was
only after 1900 that its name started to change to
the mascara that we are familiar with today. This
Figure 1: Application of mascara on eye form of mascara includes a combination of soap

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and pigments, but this substance causes Liquid Mascara

discomfort such as tears and rain due to soap. By Liquid mascaras could be produced by adding
mixing black or brown pigments into sodium colour to a dilute mucilage of gum made from
stearate soap chips, the water cosmetics, gum tragacanth, quince seed or some other
mascaros and early cake mascaras were all made mucin, with more modern forms such as
the same way. These early mascaras were hydroxyethylcellulose produced using a
essentially black soap, so it is not surprising that synthetic hydrocolloid. As compared to other
the mixture was extruded from a plodder into mascaras, it is available for a very long period 17.
strips after milling, which were then cut to It can be extracted by water quickly. Liquid
length, a technique often used to produce soap mascaras, like cake mascara, did not require
cakes [14-16]. water to be applied, but tears and transpiration
also affected them. They often appeared to stick
the lashes together and, when dry, with a
tendency to flake, become brittle. Liquid
mascaras have also been made to create a kind of
lacquer on the lashes by suspending powdered
black or other pigments in an alcoholic solution
of a resin such as rosin (colophon) or benzoin. As
for isopropyl alcohol or the more expensive ethyl
alcohol, turpentine or industrial methylated
spirits may be used as the solvent [21-23].

Figure 3: Cake Mascara

A wet brush was scrubbed over the cake to apply

the mascara in order to pick up the colour, which
was then brushed onto the lashes. Unfortunately,
water was not always available, so many women
used saliva instead, either by placing the brush in
their mouth or spitting directly on the cake,
giving the questionable name of 'spit black' to
this cosmetic [17-19].

Cream Mascara
It's another kind of cake mascara as well. After Figure 5: Liquid Mascara
being cut down by water, it can be applied with a
brush [20]. Quality Characteristics
 It should easy to applicable.
 It should not form a smudg.
 It should not causes the sticking of
eyelashes together.
 It should be easy to remove [24-25].

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 Xanthan Gum
They are polysaccharides that are derived from
carbohydrate fermentation. Xanthan Gum is
derived from glucose or corn syrup, while
sorbitol is derived from Biosaccharide Gum-1. In
a broad range of cosmetics and personal care
products, including bath products, lipstick, skin
and hair care products, and toothpaste, Xanthan
Figure 4: Cream Mascara Gum and Biosaccharide Gum-1 are used.

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 Charcoal Assessment of Mascara:

It is also known as activated carbon, and is used  Evaluation of Eye Preparation
for the prevention of oral poisoning. It should be In order to ensure that the correct ingredients
used in a short time to be effective. In the and the required quantity are used, accuracy and
preparation of eye cosmetics, it is also used. purity checks are conducted at various stages in
the development of eye preparation. These
 Coconut Oil studies have tested the existence of
It is an oil that is derived from a coconut kernel microorganisms and allergens.
that is gathered or picked from a coconut palm.
Because of the high saturated fat content, they  Patch Testing
have many applications. Two types of dermatitis require patch inspection
to assess if the substance in contact with the skin
 Rose Water causes skin inflammation (skin dermatitis):
It is prepared by distilling steam from the rose irritant, allergic dermatitis.
petals. It is fragrant, and the scent is natural. In
what is now Iran, it is believed to have arisen. In  Open or Closed Patch Testing
beauty products, it is traditionally used and now The difference between irritant and eye contact
used in food and drink products. dermatitis must can be made evident or similar
to patch inspection can be done as with shadows,
 Aloe Vera if the makeup is the cause of the dermatitis.
Aloe vera is prepared with fleshy, young, pointed
green aloe leaves, which also have laxative  Irritant Contact Dermatitis
properties and are used for cosmetic preparation An irritant is one that, when administered at a
in natural remedies. Leaves are able to store sufficiently high concentration for an
water, which makes the leaves thick to prepare appropriate duration, will cause inflammation in
aloe vera products with the "gel". almost any person. An irritant reaction that is
caused by a near contact of the skin irritant and
Method of Preparation: is not associated with the immune system.
Oil in the Water Emulsion
Take all the ingredients and weigh them  Allergic Contact Dermatitis
accurately. Mix the coconut oil and Aloe vera gel In specific, allergic reactions to the individual
together. Add a given volume of rose water and and to the substance or group of substances and
glycerin to the mixture in quantity. Stir in the allergens referred to in the call. Hypersensitivity
remaining ingredients and heat for 10 minutes. (oversensitivity) to a substance, also affecting the
The pigment is mixed together after heating. immune system, is an allergy. If contact with the
material is avoided, any sections of the skin that
Formulation of Herbal Mascara are in contact with allergens can produce a rash.
After many studies and three formulations Viz.,
F1, F2 and F3 all formulations were formulated Method
with different quantities and ingredients. Checking is performed by positioning the eye
cream at the corner of the eye for 5 days,
Table 1: Formulation of Herbal Mascara followed by an allergic or irritant contact
dermatitis skin test.
Ingredients F1 F2 F3
 Allergens are combined with a non-allergic
Xanthum gum 0.50 gm 0.70 gm 1gm substance.
Charcoal - - 1 mL
 They are put in close contact with the skin.
Rose water 5 mL - 8 mL
 Adhesive tape is used to hold them in place.
Coconut oil 4 mL 5 mL 1 mL
 The test side is labelled.
Aloevera gel 1 mL - 15 mL
 The patch is left in place for 48 hours,
Glycerine 1 mL - 1 mL
during which time it is necessary not to
Result Doesn’t Doesn’t Have all
Dry Dry characters wash the area or play competitive sport
because the adhesive tapes peel off the
procedure would have to be repeated.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION [9] Ross, J., and Miles, G.D.: The application of
Xanthum gum was picked after all the formula comparison for properties of cosmetics,
parameters and herbal mascara was formulated 1941.
in 3 batches. The final optimised formula coding [10] Mittal,: A Handbook of Cosmetics,
F3 was chosen from among these and measured. Pharmacognosy Angeloglou, Maggie. The
History of Make-up. The Macmillan
Table 2: Evaluation of herbal mascara Company, 1970.
Sr. no. Test Result
[11] Aucoin, Kevyn. The Art of Make Up. Harper
Collins, 1994.
1 Irritant contact No irritation was
[12] Schemann, Andrew. Cosmetics Buying
dermatitis occurs
Guide. Consumer Reports Books, 1993.
2 Allergic Contact No allergic action was
Dermatitis occur [13] Wetterhahn, Julius. Eye Makeup in
Cosmetics: Science. M. S. Balsam. John
Wiley & Sons, 1972.
CONCLUSION
[14] Balsam, S.M., Gershon, S.D: COSMETICS–
In the context of the present study, this
Science & Technology, 2nd edition, Volm‐2,
formulation was found to be ideal for use in
John Wiley India, New Delhi, 2008.
systematic clinical trials in order to obtain access
to the formulation with a view to enhancing
[15] Rubinstein, Helena, Dec. 25, 1870-April 1,
1965". Notable American Women: The
efficacy.
Modern Period. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press. 1980.
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