Characterization of Kaolin-rich Laterite Soil for Applications for the Development of Soil-based Cosmetic Products

The present study aims to characterize the properties of the raw and thermally activated laterite soil to be used to develop cosmetic products. Collected soil samples were washed and  air-dried for 48 hours, collected soil samples were air-dried for 48 hours. Air-dried soil was crushed to create 500 µm powdered materials. Thermally activated soil samples were prepared by heating the laterite soil at 100 0C, 200 0C, 300 0C, and 400 0C for 3 hours in a muffle furnace. The physicochemical properties of laterite such as morphology, surface functional groups, elemental composition, surface area, and trace elements were analyzed. The Cell Forming Unit (CFU) was counted in the raw soil, and thermally activated soil samples at the beginning. Antimicrobial Assay was tested with Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus microorganisms in raw and thermally activated laterite soil. An uncountable amount of microorganisms per gram was observed in the raw soil sample and fewer microorganisms were counted in 100 0C, and 200 0C samples. The CFU was zero microorganisms per gram for the 300 0C, and 400 0C samples. The optimum density of the culture is measured to estimate the growth of the microbial cells. Oil absorption, sweat absorption and swelling capacity were used to characterize the samples with raw and thermally activated soils. The characterization results indicated that chosen soil samples have good oil and sweat absorption, good swelling capacity and microbiological safety, making them suitable for cosmetic applications. Keywords:  Cosmetics, Chemical analysis, Laterite soil, Microbiology, Thermally activation, physiochemical feature