Salt Mud Powder for Skin Pack-Skin Test in Volunteers

Abstract

A skin care product made of Ban-dung salt mud was developed for testing with 40 female volunteers in a double-blinded study. Processed salt-mud powder was assessed for safety precaution before use and found that it contained no microbe and lead, cadmium and mercury at lower levels than limits acceptable for
cosmetic use. Salt-mud pack was prepared by mixing salt-mud powder with distilled water, mineral water, turmeric powder, milk or glycerin at different ratios to form 5 formulas. It was then applied on to the inner arms of 40 female volunteers and double-blinded assessment of skin moisture and pH was performed before and after each application. A comparison between before and after the application indicated that the mud packs increased the overall skin moisture by 37.5%. Mixing with distilled water, the mud significantly adjusted the skin pH and moisturized the skin (p < 0.01). Ninety percents of the volunteers showed moisturizing effect after using the salt mud pack and 77.5 % adjusted the skin pH. Ban-dung salt mud could moisturize and adjust the pH of the skin for cosmetic purposes, and thus, has a potential for further developing for skin care products.