New Insights into Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Sprouts: Pilot Studies on the Formulation of a Cosmeceutical Based on Micellar Extracts Bean Sprouts

The search for new active plant ingredients is crucial for the development of innovative cosmetic products. Micellar extracts from plant raw materials are not yet widely popular in cosmetics; however, scientific reports suggest that this form of extract is superior to standard extracts due to its enhanced ability to solubilize active compounds, improve their stability, and facilitate better penetration into the skin. For this reason, our research focuses on an innovative in its applicative form micellar extract from common bean sprouts (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with a favorable composition and promising biological activity. The aim of this study was to develop a cream formulation containing this extract and evaluate its effects using in vivo tests. Six formulations were assessed for their physicochemical properties, and a comparative analysis was conducted against a reference cream and placebo cream. For the in vivo efficacy tests, the cream, which exhibited optimal physicochemical properties and long-term stability, was selected and tested on a group of 45 volunteers. The evaluation utilized Multi-Probe Adapter Systems to compare the cream with the micellar extract, a placebo cream (cream without the extract), and a reference antiaging cream. Results demonstrated that the formulation with micellar extract exhibited superior moisturizing, antiaging, and skin-brightening properties compared to the control groups. After 12 weeks of application, the micellar extract cream improved skin hydration by 22.31%, while the placebo cream showed only a 3.52% increase, and the reference cream achieved a 13.96% improvement. The antiaging effect, assessed based on improvements in skin elasticity parameters (R2 and R5), showed increases of 13.30% and 12.33% for the micellar extract cream, compared to 8.5% and 2.32% for the placebo cream and 6.38% and 3.82% for the reference cream, respectively. In conclusion, the common bean sprouts micellar extract shows potential as an effective active ingredient for skin care products, highlighting its promising applications in the cosmetics industry.