Desenvolvimento de um creme fitocosmético a partir do extrato da casca de Nephelium lappaceum L. aplicando um design de mistura.

Objective: To design a cream using a hydroalcoholic extract from the peel of Nephelium lappaceum L (rambutan) for cosmetic purposes. Methods: The quality of the raw material and the 80% hydroalcoholic extract of rambutan peel was evaluated, and antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH assay. A constrained mixture design was employed for the cream formulation, with self-emulsifying wax, cetyl alcohol, and water as factors, and pH and spreadability (measured at 24 and 72 hours) as response variables. Sensory evaluation of the optimal formulations (100% desirability) was conducted via surveys with 50 university students. Multiple Correspondence Analysis was applied to explore relationships between significant variables. Preliminary stability of formulation 13 was assessed under thermal stress and centrifugation conditions. Microbiological analysis was performed in accordance with the INEN 2867:2015 standard for cosmetic products. Results: The raw material and extract demonstrated values consistent with previous studies, with antioxidant activity measured at 9.0603 mg/g TEAC by DPPH. Spreadability data fit significant quadratic models (p<0.05) with an R² of 0.7829. Sensory evaluation identified formulation 13 as the most preferred, exhibiting a pH of 5.10, and appropriate viscosity and spreadability. Preliminary physical stability tests yielded favorable results, with no bacterial or fungal growth detected in the formulations. Conclusions: A novel phytocosmetic cream incorporating Nephelium lappaceum L. extract was successfully developed using experimental design techniques to optimize component ratios. Formulation 13 stood out for its high sensory acceptance