Dear Colleagues,

Skin is the largest organ of the human body. However, aging and inflammation processes cause biochemical disturbances in skin tissue, which could lead to modifications in physical condition and the appearance of undesirable visible signs on the skin surface. In contrast to inflammation, which is the local biological reaction of harmed tissue, aging is a permanent complex process, progressing over time. Inflammation is usually caused by external factors, such as irritants, injuries, wounds, or pathogen infections, and, depending on the time of inflammatory response in the affected tissue, it can be classified as acute (initial) or chronic (prolonged) inflammation. On the other hand, the aging process could be considered as chronological aging, which is due to the passage of time, and premature aging, which is caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation, increase in reactive oxygen species in cells during oxidative stress, pollutants, unhealthy lifestyles, etc. To prevent inflammation of skin, and to reduce the visible effects of aging, various cosmetic formulations, loaded with synthetic or natural antioxidants, anti-aging, and/or anti-inflammatory compounds, can be used. Depending on the claims of expected therapeutic effects, these products could be classified as cosmeceuticals or nutricosmetics. However, over the past decade, there has been an increasing demand for cosmetics containing active ingredients of natural origin, rather than synthetic additives.  Herbal and medicinal plant extracts have been time-proved as effective active ingredients in cosmeceuticals, especially in topical formulations and skin-care products. In the meantime, many new natural compounds, derived from microorganisms, fungi, snails, algae, and even plant stem cells, have been advertised and introduced as powerful anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, or anti-wrinkle natural active cosmetic ingredients. However, the scientific evidence for the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action for many of these ingredients remain scant in the scientific literature.

This Special Issue is dedicated to natural compounds with anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and their potential for application in skin-care formulations and cosmetics. Original research and review papers, dealing with the elucidation of mechanisms of action, therapeutic effectiveness, safety and regulatory aspects in the application of such biologically-active natural compounds are welcomed and encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Vasil Georgiev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cosmetics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Nutricosmetics
• Cosmeceuticals
• Natural Products
• Herbal Extracts
• Plant Stem Cells
• Exopolysaccharides
• Antioxidants
• Flavonoids
• New Delivery Systems
• Cosmetic Additives
• Skin Care Formulations
• Photoaging