Acid-form Sophorolipids Exhibit Minimal Cytotoxicity, Similar to Solvents and Oils Used in Personal Care Products, despite Being Surfactants.

Wataru Kumano; Michiaki Araki; Akiko Shimada; Yoriko Kato; Yuka Oda; Yoshihiko Hirata

Surfactants are amphiphilic substances that induce surface tension reduction, washing, and emulsification and are used for various purposes. Recently, biosurfactants manufactured from renewable resources and with high biocompatibility have gained increasing attention. Sophorolipid (SL), a type of biosurfactant derived from Starmerella bombicola, possesses detergency and emulsification properties, making it suitable for household and personal care applications. However, there are limited toxicological data on SLs. In this study, we conducted cytotoxicity and skin-irritation tests using SLs, revealing that cytotoxicity and skin irritation induced by SLs were extremely low (logIC50 = 4.76 mg/L) and equivalent to those of solvents and oils used in personal care products.

CYTOTOXINS; HYGIENE products; SURFACE tension; RENEWABLE natural resources; SURFACE active agents; BIOSURFACTANTS

Journal of Oleo Science, 2024, Vol 73, Issue 9, p1169

1345-8957

Academic Journal

10.5650/jos.ess23259