关键词: 植物提取物, 敏感头皮, 表面活性剂, 皮肤屏障, 体外模型

Abstract:

Nowadays, shampoos and conditioners are used as routine hair care products in daily life. Frequent exposure to surfactants or their residues more or less causes damage to scalp skin. Herein, an in vitro model was constructed to simulate skin irritation induced by shampoo and hair conditioner, followed by the screening of multiple commercially available plant extracts. Scutellaria alpine, Epilobium angustifolium and Lavandula angustifolia were identified as strong cell protectors and formulated into a scalp soothing complex （SSC）. The SSC was further studied in both a keratinocyte model and a 3D reconstructed human epidermal model, for its effect in counteracting surfactant-induced damage. After a comprehensive evaluation including inflammatory markers, epidermal tissue morphology, and barrier proteins, SSC demonstrates that it is a strong, holistic solution to combat surfactant irritation. Specifically, SSC reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, as well as the inflammatory mediator PGE2, upregulates endogenous NRF2 expression to enhance free radical scavenging; promotes the synthesis of key barrier proteins FLG and LOR; and downregulates TRPV1 expression. The current research suggests that SSC modulates barrier function, inflammatory responses, and neuro-sensory signaling through a multi-target regulatory mechanism, thereby exhibiting significant soothing efficacy and strong potential for scalp care applications.

Key words: plant extract, sensitive scalp, surfactants, skin barrier, in vitro model