Antibiofilm Activity of Palmarosa (<i>Cymbopogon martini</i>) Essential Oil Lotion Against <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> FNCC 0048

Staphylococcus epidermidis is an opportunistic bacterium that causes acne vulgaris. Under conditions of skin dysbiosis, S. epidermidis can form biofilms, which is resistant to antibiotics, thus it is necessary to develop antibiofilm agents. This study examines the activity of a lotion with the addition of palmarosa essential oil (C. martini) as an antibiofilm agent against S. epidermidis. This study is designed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of palmarosa essential oil against S. epidermidis and evaluate the inhibition and degradation activity of S. epidermidis biofilms by palmarosa essential oil and lotion with added palmarosa essential oil. MIC testing and antibiofilm activity were conducted using the 96-well plate microdilution method. This study employed a completely randomized design (CRD) with 6 variations of essential oil concentrations in the lotion (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 2.5, and 3 times the MIC) and 5 replications of analysis. Based on the research, it was found that palmarosa essential oil has minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) at 2 mg/mL against S. epidermidis, while lotion with the addition of 6 mg/mL or equal to 3 MIC palmarosa essential oil showed 44.36% inhibition activity and 39.92% degradation activity against S. epidermidis biofilms.