Gallic acid: Application and Benefits

What is Gallic acid?

Gallic acid is a plant polyphenol active ingredient with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, gastroprotective and neuroprotective properties, which provide a wide range of benefits to human health. However, since the human body cannot produce polyphenols, they must be obtained from food. Examples include: guava (Psidium guajava), grape (Vitis vinifera), pomegranate (Punica granatum), avocado (Persea americana), blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum), mango (Mangifera indica), etc. (Figure 1).

Application and Benefits

Since Gallic acid has a wide range of pharmacological effects and the compound has been reported to have therapeutic activity in gastrointestinal, neuropsychological, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. Therefore, Gallic acid is commonly used as a dietary supplement to improve or maintain human health. It is also used in the food industry as an antioxidant, nanocarrier, and functional ingredient in beverages.

In addition, it is widely used in emulsions and cosmetics as a highly effective whitening active substance, which not only reduces the production of free radicals, inhibits the production of tyrosinase and prevents the transfer of melanin, thus reducing the size of UV spots, melanin and erythema, but also relieves skin inflammation and brightens the skin tone.

References:

[1] KAI-QIANG ZHANG; Hu jun X; Liang liang Lin. Research on antioxidant performance of diglucosyl gallic acid and its application in emulsion cosmetics[J]. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2022. DOI:10.1111/ics.12766.

[2] MONIKA KALINOWSKA. Plant-Derived and Dietary Hydroxybenzoic Acids-A Comprehensive Study of Structural, Anti-/Pro-Oxidant, Lipophilic, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 Cell Lines.[J]. Nutrients, 2021. DOI:10.3390/nu13093107.