Many sunscreen products on the market claim to offer antioxidant protection, but they have inadequate or no antioxidant capacity to achieve any meaningful protection against free radicals. In fact, the radical protection of these products is entirely from the UVA filters in the sunscreen while the antioxidant capacity is none or very minimal. Therefore, there is growing interest in the potential for "non-sunscreen" agents such as topical antioxidants to add protection against exposure to UV radiation. CITRUSA Antioxidant body lotion is an innovation which is developed using sweet orange peel extract as antioxidant to provide additional line of defense against harmful free radicals from UV radiation. The freeze-dried sweet orange peels were extracted using Soxhlet extraction method and ethyl acetate as solvent to yield the botanical active. Antioxidant activity could be the most significant pharmacological property of sweet orange due to its peels containing rich bioactive metabolites including phenolic acids, organic acids, flavonoids and terpenoids. There is a lot of previous studies that proves that sweet orange peels extract able to acts as hydrogen donator and radical's scavenger which reflect its good antioxidant activity that may contribute also to anticancer activity. It is known that antioxidants are inherently unstable, therefore ensuring antioxidants to be stable in the final formulation to exhibit radical protection create additional challenges. The uniqueness about this CITRUSA Antioxidant Body Lotion is not only in the material but also in its very strong antioxidant capacity to neutralize the free radicals compared with extract alone. Our research data show that incorporating antioxidants in skin care formulation is proven to be successful. Our innovation proves that topical antioxidant delivery is effective in photoprotection for improving healthy skin appearance. Starting with advanced formulations of topical orange peels extract, we documented an ability to improve the signs of skin aging linked to oxidative stress for everyone, especially outdoor workers. Our innovation supports the Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 12 through using the natural-based ingredients such as orange peels which able to reduce the biowaste materials along with environmental considerations to avoid health hazards derived from unsatisfactory disposal methods. Therefore, CITRUSA Antioxidant Body Lotion is a sustainable alternative for photoprotection. Our innovation is classified under Technology Readiness Level of 6 whereby prototype system is verified, being produced and demonstrated in a simulated environment. This innovation project involves collaborators from industry like Curtin Biovalley Sdn. Bhd to provide consultancy and R&D services; and collaborators also from both local and private institution such as School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (USM, Penang) and Faculty of Engineering and Science (Curtin University Sarawak) to provide formulation characterization and research assistance in terms of sample analysis. We successfully published a research article in the International Journal of Phytomedicines and Related Industries for the preliminary study of this innovation. The copyright of this innovation is currently submitted and accepted to MyIPO (LY2023W00870) and we are waiting for the certificate.
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