Antimicrobial activity of Patchouli essential oil (Pogostemon cablin B.) against skin microbiome

: Patchouli Essential Oil (PEO) is derived from the leaves of the patchouli plant (Pogostemon cablin) and is renowned for its distinct fragrance and therapeutic properties. PEO exhibits potent antibacterial activity against various skin pathogens implicated in acne, dermatitis, dandruff, and other skin infections. This study aims to standardize and determine the potential of PEO to inhibit bacteria and fungi that cause skin problems. Standardization of patchouli essential oil (PEO) by the requirements of the Indonesian National Standards (SNI) for patchouli oil (06-2385-2006) shows that seven test characteristics meet the requirements, including organoleptic, specific gravity, solubility in ethanol, acid number, ester number, optical rotation, and patchouli alcohol content. The antibacterial and antifungal activity test was carried out qualitatively by measuring the diameters of the inhibition zones using the agar disc diffusion method, quantitatively by determining the value of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) or minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) using the broth microdilution method and agar diffusion method, respectively. PEO has strong antibacterial and antifungal activity against Propionibacterium acnes ATCC 11827, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Staphylococcous epidermidis ATCC 1228, and Malassezia furfur ATCC 14521 with MIC–MBC values of 312.5 μg/mL, 156.25–312.5 μg/mL, 187.5–375 μg/mL, and 900–>1000 μg/mL respectively. Based on the TLC-Bioautography test, compounds with antibacterial activity are considered sesquiterpenes.