J. Cosmet. Sci., 71, 239–250 (September/October 2020) 239 Stability and Cytotoxicity of a Cosmetic Cream Containing Oil from Lecythis pisonis Cambess (Sapucaia) Nuts ANNA PAULA DE SOUZA RAMPAZZO, ELISÂNGELA FLÁVIA PIMENTEL, ANA CLAUDIA HERTEL PEREIRA, PAMELA APARECIDA GRIZOTTO, STANISLAU BOGUSZ JUNIOR, FABIANA G. RUAS, JOSÉ AIRES VENTURA, and DENISE COUTINHO ENDRINGER, Ph armaceutical Science Graduate Program, Universidade Vila Velha, Vila Velha, Brazil 29102-920 (A.P.D.S.R., E.F.P., A.C.H.P., D.C.E.), Ins tituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 05513-970 (P.A.G., S.B.J.), Capixab a Institute of Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension, Vitória, Brazil 29052-010 (F.G.R., J.A.V.) Accepted for publication December 31, 2019 Synopsis Lecythi s pisonis nuts are rich in tocopherols, polyphenols, and fatty acids, and hence, the quality of oil was analyzed for use in the elaboration of skin cream. Nut oil was extracted with hexane in a Soxhlet apparatus. The quality and safety of the oil were tested by using established protocols from Adolf Lutz Institute. Three concentrations, 1%, 5%, and 10%, of oil were incorporated into a formulated cream. The oil formulations were evaluated for their stability, organoleptic characteristics, pH, viscosity, spreadability, challenge test, cellular viability, and their response to microbial contamination, as recommended by the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). Quality analysis demonstrated the high quality of the obtained oil, with no traces of heavy metals and no toxic effects on ingestion. The cream containing L. pisonis nut oil is stable, has an effective preservative system, and is considered safe for use because it presented no toxicity in human cells. A stabilizer is required to maintain the pH in the range suitable for a body cream. Of the formulations tested, the cream containing 5% nut oil was the most stable and had presented the best organoleptic characteristics. INTRODU C TION Lecythi s pisonis Cambess, Lecythidaceae, is a Brazilian tree also known as “castanha de sapucaia,” “sapucainha,” with a height of 20–30 m and 90-cm-diameter trunk (1). This species occurs in the Amazon region and rainforest, commonly in Bahia and Espírito Santo (1). The wood is heavy, tough (2), and used in furniture manufacture and civil Address all correspondence to Denise Coutinho Endringer at denise.endringer@uvv.br.

JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 240 construction (1). The fruits are large (20 cm), with hard shell and a cover that opens when mature, releasing light brown seeds. The fruits form from June to September. The seeds germinate in 40–70 d, are edible, are tasty, and possesses medicinal proprieties (1). The olea ginous seeds of L. pisonis are rich in proteins, lipids, fi ber, thiamine, ribofl avin, niacin, phosphorus, and potassium (3–5) and reasonable amounts of calcium and magne- sium (4,5). Their low sodium content and no cholesterol is benefi cial for the cardiovascular system (3,5,6). Therefore, they are considered a functional and nutritional food for humans (6). In tradi tional medicine, L. pisonis leaves are used to treat pruritus and muscle pain, their analgesic effect in humans might be related to their antinociceptive effects in mice (6). The anti oxidant activity of the ethanolic extract of L. pisonis leaves may be associated with high levels of polyphenols and fl avonoids (7). Oil from L. pisonis showed antioxidant activity that may be related to tocopherols, α and β-tocopherol, and vitamin E (4). The aim of this work was to develop a skin cream using L. pisonis nut oil and evaluate its quality to add value to the oil as a raw material and to the plant as a living resource. This will reduce the need to raze L. pisonis trees and promote the maintenance of this species and sustainable development in the Amazon region, creating a potential source of revenue for the region. MATERIALS AND METHODS PLANT MATE RIAL Fruits of L. pisonis were harvested in Laranja da Terra, Espírito Santo, Brazil, as a part of the 2015 crop acquired by the Instituto Capixaba de Pesquisa e Extensão Rural. The voucher specimen was deposited in the Coleção de Herbário do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ-Holotype) and Royal Botanic Gardens (K000600113). After selection, where bruised nuts where discarded, the nuts were divided into four groups and stored at –18°C until analysis. The nuts were peeled and macerated with hexane in a Soxhlet (Unividros, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) apparatus for 6 h to obtain the oil according to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry method 1.122 (8). After the solvent was removed by evaporation under reduced pressure, the oil was stored in an amber glass bottle under refrigeration (–8°C) until use. PHYSICAL–CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE OIL OF L. PISONIS NUTS Acidity index of t he oil was determined according to the physical–chemical methods for food analysis (9), with modifi cations. Briefl y, 2 g of the sample was dissolved in 25 mL of a 2:1 ether:alcohol mixture and was titrated with a standard solution of 0.01 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) using phenolphthalein as an indicator. The acidity index was calcu- lated and expressed in mg KOH/g oil. The peroxide index was also determined according to the physical–chemical methods for food analysis (9), with modifi cations. The oil (5 g) was shaken for solubilization with 30 mL of an (3:2) acetic acid:chloroform mixture. Then, protected from light, 0.5 mL of saturated