Lavender Rain

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A healthy skin pH is typically between 5.1 to 5.9, with some studies even indicating that healthy skin is often slightly more acidic (below 5). Certain products with higher pH levels can cause dehydration, irritation, and alter bacterial flora.

Skin has a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with its microflora: the human skin provides the right biotope for the resident flora, while the resident flora in turn strengthens human’s defence by prevention of the colonisation of harmful bacteria as well as playing a role in the acidification of the skin

Skin pH < 5.0 shows statistically significant less scaling and higher hydration levels than subjects with skin pH > 5.0. Natural healthy human skin surface pH is on aver- age 4.7, lower than currently assumed (pH 5.4– 5.9).

Skin with pH < 5.0 is in better condition than skin with pH > 5.0, Growth of S. epidermidis, under in-vitro acidic pH conditions (pH 4.7) and in the presence of lactate, is enhanced when compared with neutral pH, whereas growth of S. aureus is strongly inhibited under these acidic conditions. An acid pH seems to preserve the resident bacterial flora, whereas an alkaline pH causes dispersal from the skin.

• Lavandula angustifolia P. Miller (= Lavandula officinalis Chaix ex Kitt.), commonly known as lavender or aspic, belongs to the Labiatae (Lamiaceae) family. It is an aromatic, perennial subshrub, which grows to a height of 50-80 cm.
• The leaves are entire, opposite, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1-3 mm wide, 20-50 mm long. The inflorescences are of the verticillate type, with the flowers arranged in relatively loose, 2-8 cm long, spikes.
• There is a bract at the base of every inflorescence; smaller scarious bracteoles may be present. The inflorescence peduncle is 10-30 cm long, usually unbranched, with only one or two pairs of leaves.
• Lavender is native to the European Mediterranean area, Middle East and India. It was introduced into almost all the other continents. It grows wild in poor, clayish though well-drained soils, in chalky grasslands of low mountain areas, etc. It is extensively used as an ornamental plant for gardens and cultivated especially in Spain, the French region of Provence, England, Greece, the Dalmatian coast, the north of Africa and the south of the United States.

Antimicrobial activity

• Different research studies have confirmed the antimicrobial properties of essential oils, especially on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, which resists methicillin, or Enterococcus faecium, which resists vancomycin.
• The antimicrobial activity of essential oils is attributed to their main chemical components: citral (aldehyde), geraniol (primary alcohol), eugenol (phenol), menthol (secondary alcohol) and cinnamic aldehyde (aldehyde).
• angustifolia essential oil has been found to fight a number of bacteria and fungi species. The antifungal actions of L. angustifolia essential oil have been demonstrated with different fungi species.
• Lavender essential oil showed antibacterial activity in cultures of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.

Antioxidant activity

• This activity is due to the rosmarinic acid and vitamin E content of lavender oil.
• Reduces the formation of lipoperoxides in the skin. The cell membrane is rich in highly unsaturated phospholipids. The oxidation of these phospholipids, due to endogenous as well as exogenous factors, produces lipoperoxides which destabilise the cell membrane and produce skin ageing.
• Free radical scavenger action: protects the cells against free radicals, released by the lipoperoxides and involved in skin ageing.

Anti-inflammatory activity

• Lavender oil has been attributed the property of relieving the symptoms of some skin pathologies such as psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema. It has been suggested that topic applications of lavender oil might inhibit some steps of the allergic reaction.

Antispasmodic activity

• Lavender showed antispasmodic activity on animal smooth muscle of the intestine (ileum) and the uterus walls. It is believed that such smooth muscle relaxing action contributes to induce a relaxed state in humans.
• Studies carried out on lavender action mechanism revealed that the antispasmodic activity was not mediated by adrenergic or cholinergic receptors, nor resulted from an action on calcium or potassium channels.
• It is believed that lavender acts by increasing intracellular cAMP levels. It is still not known if such cAMP increase is related to the activity of receptors. It is also not clear if the relaxing effects observed in humans are the outcome of an action on the central nervous system (through the olfactory and the limbic systems) or a peripheral action. Lavender effects on the smooth muscles result in a vasodilator effect, which could be the origin of the hypotensive effects of this plant.
• Therefore, lavender oil is highly recommendable to formulate cosmetic products with relaxing effects.