Application of Purslane Extract in Cosmetics and Medical Fields

Purslane extract, derived from the humble purslane plant, is a treasure trove of beneficial compounds. Rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, organic acids, and polysaccharides, it offers a wide range of remarkable properties.
In the cosmetics industry, it has made significant inroads. Many leading skincare brands are incorporating purslane extract into their products. For instance, a popular moisturizing cream contains this extract and is highly effective in soothing sensitive skin and reducing redness and irritation. Another skincare product, a mask, uses purslane extract as its key ingredient, providing not only moisture but also powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Users have reported a visible improvement in skin texture and radiance.

The medical field is also taking notice. 

Treatment of hyperprolactinemia and its accompanying depressive symptoms: An article published in the journal "Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy" in February 2024 shows that purslane extract has potential in regulating hyperprolactinemia and can also improve depressive symptoms. In experiments, purslane extract significantly reduced the immobility time of mice models induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test, increased the exploration time and frequency in the central area, and improved depressive-like behaviors; regulated the levels of neurotransmitters and hormones related to depression in serum; reduced the serum prolactin level in rat models of hyperprolactinemia induced by risperidone, improved the size of rat nipples and breast hyperplasia, and could also restore the decrease in hormone secretion caused by antipsychotic drugs and protect breast tissue from the adverse effects of hyperprolactinemia.
Research related to applications in cosmetics: Studies have found that purslane extract has multiple skin care functions, such as anti-inflammation, anti-allergy, moisturizing, increasing skin water content, improving transepidermal water loss, and repairing the skin barrier. In the cosmetics industry, there are many application cases of purslane extract. For example, a well-known skin care brand's soothing and moisturizing cream contains purslane extract, which can effectively relieve redness, itching and other discomfort symptoms of sensitive skin and enhance the skin barrier function; there is also a mask product with purslane extract as the core ingredient. While moisturizing, it exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. After use, the skin can glow with health.
Screening for potential antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic components: Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that the ethyl acetate extract of purslane has the highest antioxidant activity and also the highest total phenol content and total flavonoid content by measuring free radical scavenging and ferric ion reducing antioxidant capacity, as well as the corresponding total phenol content and total flavonoid content. The researchers also established a multi-target affinity ultrafiltration coupled LC/MS method for rapid screening of superoxide dismutase, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase ligands in purslane. The results showed that four ligands in the EA extract are potential ligands of related enzymes, and molecular docking shows that these potential ligands have strong binding ability and inhibitory activity against the above three enzymes. This indicates that purslane can be used as a natural source of food-derived antioxidants and hypoglycemic agents.