Popularity and usage of different skincare agents among the inhabitants of Galle district in Southern province, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Cosmetics could be considered as one of the essential commodities in modern society, and the use of skincare agents has become a common practice in both men and women in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the popularity and usage of skincare agents among inhabitants in Galle district, Sri Lanka, and to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness on the use of those products. Further, the attempts were made to identify widely used home-made natural skincare preparations for future pharmacological, clinical, and phytochemical evaluations. Thus, 390 participants were recruited to the study by random sampling method and semi-structured, and open-ended interviews were conducted using a pre-validated questionnaire. Total number of users of skincare products were found to be 207 (53.1%). Skincare products were highly popular among females while unmarried people and the people of the age group 18-30 years were reported to be regular users. Although the usage of synthetic skincare products was more prevalent than herbal preparations, the knowledge on different parameters of the synthetic products was not satisfactory as only 100 (48.3%), 48 (23.2%) and 82 (39.6%) individuals among the regular users were aware of pH, sun protection factor (SPF) and chemical composition of those products respectively. Interestingly, most of the participants believe in the safety and non-toxic features of natural herbal formulations, thus, it reflects the urgent need of exploring Sri Lankan flora for the development of herbal cosmetics.

Keywords: Herbal preparations, skincare agents, synthetic cosmetics