Up-Cycling of Olea europaea L. Ancient Cultivars Side Products: Study of a Combined Cosmetic–Food Supplement Treatment Based on Leaves and Olive Mill Wastewater Extracts
Open accessAbstract
In recent years, a reversal of the global economic framework has been taking place: from the linear model, there has been a gradual transition to a circular model where by-products from the agri-food industry are taken and transformed into value products (upcycling) rather than being disposed of. Olive tree pruning represents an important biomass currently used for combustion; however, the leaf part of the olive tree is rich in phenolic substances, including hydroxytyrosol. Mill wastewater is also discarded, but it still contains high amounts of hydroxytyrosol. In this study, cosmetic and food supplement formulations were prepared using biophenols extracted from leaves and wastewater and were tested in a placebo-controlled study on healthy volunteers using a combined cosmetic and food supplement treatment. A significant improvement in skin health indicators (collagen density, elasticity, etc.) and a 17% improvement against Photo-induced Irritative Stimulus was observed.
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Due to the antimicrobial properties of olive derivatives, they can be used in cosmetics as preservative boosters.
“Due to the antimicrobial properties of olive derivatives, they can be used in cosmetics as preservative boosters.”
From Use of Waste from the Food Industry and Applications of the Fermentation Process to Create Sustainable Cosmetic Products: A Review (2024) · cites this paper as [119]
The Introduction (page unavailable) describes antimicrobial properties of olive biophenols, and §2.6 (page unavailable) lists olive extracts in cosmetic formulations. The paper does not say the extracts act as preservative boosters or test their effect on cosmetic preservation. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe main phenolic compounds in olives are hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, verbascoside, and their derivatives, which have powerful antioxidant activity in both vivo and in vitro studies.
“The main phenolic compounds in olives are as follows: hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, verbascoside, and their derivatives, which have powerful antioxidant activity in both vivo and in vitro studies [55,79,119,120].”
From Use of Waste from the Food Industry and Applications of the Fermentation Process to Create Sustainable Cosmetic Products: A Review (2024) · cites this paper as [119]
The Introduction identifies hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives, oleuropein, and verbascoside as major olive polyphenols and reports pharmacological activity in in vitro and in vivo studies. Methods §2.5 also quantifies tyrosol, while Results §3.3 reports antioxidant activity for a biophenol extract. The paper does not identify tyrosol as a major component or establish powerful antioxidant activity for every listed compound in both in vivo and in vitro studies. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredImprovement in the condition of skin with dermatosis, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and very dry skin, could be observed after applying cosmetic formula containing olive wastes.
“Also improvement in the condition of the skin impact with dermatosis, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and very dry skin could be observed after applying cosmetic formula containing olive wastes, giving the sensation of soft, elastic, and hydrated skin [79,119].”
From Use of Waste from the Food Industry and Applications of the Fermentation Process to Create Sustainable Cosmetic Products: A Review (2024) · cites this paper as [119]
Results §3.4 reports improved hydration and elasticity with olive-waste-derived cosmetic products. But Methods §2.7 says the volunteers were healthy and explicitly excludes people with dermatitis, psoriasis, or other dermatological diseases. The paper therefore does not establish improvement in the listed dermatoses or very dry skin. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOlea europaea is the main source of squalene, which is the most abundant lipid on the skin's surface and possesses emollient, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
“Olea europea is also the main source of squalene, which is a lipid from the family of triterpene, being the most abundant on the skin's surface and possessing emollient, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties [79,119,120].”
From Use of Waste from the Food Industry and Applications of the Fermentation Process to Create Sustainable Cosmetic Products: A Review (2024) · cites this paper as [119]
Section 2.6 lists squalane and olive-derived ingredients in a serum, but does not discuss squalene or identify olive as its main source. The Introduction discusses antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of olive phytonutrients, not the claimed abundance or properties of squalene. Searches for squalene, emollient, antibacterial, and antifungal yielded no passage addressing those claims. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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- Authors
- Buzzi, R., Gugel, I., Costa, S., Molesini, S., Boreale, S., Baldini, E., Marchetti, N., Vertuani, S., Pinelli, P., Urciuoli, S., Baldisserotto, A., & Manfredini, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Ferrara (IT)
- Ambrosialab, Via Mortara 171, 44123 Ferrara, Italy
- University of Florence (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Costa, Stefania
- Vertuani, Silvia
- ORCID
- Venue
- Life
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2023-07-05
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1509
- ISSN
- 2075-1729 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10381166
- OpenAlex
- W4383262915
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 0.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Life (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Ferrara (University of Ferrara) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- FSE, PON Research and Innovation 2014–2020 (PON-DM-1062-SC-RIC, CUP F71B21005820007, DOT1309055, 0001052)
- Ministry of University and Research (PON-DM-1062-SC-RIC, CUP F71B21005820007, DOT1309055, 0001052)
- National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) (PON-DM-1062-SC-RIC, CUP F71B21005820007, DOT1309055, 0001052)
- Ambrosialab S.r.l. (PON-DM-1062-SC-RIC, CUP F71B21005820007, DOT1309055, 0001052)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Edible Oils Quality and Analysis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry › Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities
- Keywords
- upcycling, olive leaves, olive mill wastewater, Olea europaea, hydroxytyrosol, biophenols, cosmetic formulation, dietary supplements, skin health, collagen density, skin elasticity, circular economy, agri-food by-products
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