PHYTOCOSMETICS IN AESTHETIC PROTOCOLS OF CLINICAL PRACTICE: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE IN BIOMEDICAL USE

Abstract

The increasing popularity of natural therapeutic strategies, non-invasive aesthetic treatments and their implementation in aesthetic biomedicine have contributed greatly to the use of phytocosmetics in clinical practice. These plant extracts have proven effective in treating skin with their extraordinary healing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, scarring, moisturizing and depigmenting effects [1, 2]. This integrative review was rigorously carried out with the purpose of systematizing and critically analyzing the scientific evidence on the clinical application of phytocosmetics for non-invasive aesthetic procedures. For this purpose, well-known databases such as PubMed, SciELO, ScienceDirect, LILACS and Google Scholar were considered and publications between 2006 and 2025 were considered. The research included clinical and observational studies, systematic reviews and in vitro studies, applied to aesthetics. A total of 10 main active ingredients were obtained after rigorous screening and analysis: Aloe vera, Green tea, Caffeine, Clay, Centella asiatica, Rosehip oil, Ferulic acid, Vitamin C, Niacinamide and Calendula. The results revealed that phytocosmetics have a profound effect on tissue repair, deep hydration, skin lightening, skin toning, improved skin tone, reduced oiliness, absence of wrinkles and holistic healing of acne. The conclusion of this review is that, even though the results seem very promising and consolidate the use of these active ingredients, future studies that are more standardized and with greater methodological rigor need to be developed, making them essentially necessary for the use of phytocosmetics in clinical practice with much more solid scientific evidence.