HYBRID EVENT: You can participate in person at Valencia, Spain or Virtually from your home or work.
Valencia, Spain
September 08-10, 2025
ICTM 2025

Essential oils from Tunisian cupressus sempervirens varieties: a natural resource for traditional and modern skin therapies

Hanene Medini, Speaker at Traditional Medicine Conferences
University of Monastir, Tunisia
Title : Essential oils from Tunisian cupressus sempervirens varieties: a natural resource for traditional and modern skin therapies

Abstract:

Medicinal and aromatic plants have long been central to traditional medicine systems and phytotherapy, offering a wide range of bioactive compounds with health-promoting effects. In this context, Cupressus sempervirens, traditionally used for its antiseptic and astringent properties, represents a valuable source of essential oils (EOs) with potential applications in dermatology and cosmetology. The present study investigates the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and enzyme inhibitory potential of leaf essential oils from three Tunisian varieties: C. sempervirens var. horizontalis, var. numidica, and var. pyramidalis. GC-MS analysis identified 47 constituents, primarily monoterpenes, with α-pinene and 3-carene as dominant compounds. Chemometric tools (PCA and HCA) allowed us to distinguish two chemical profiles: one associated with var. pyramidalis (sub-humid bioclimate), enriched in sesquiterpenes like cedrol, cryptopinone, and totarol; and the other grouping var. horizontalis and numidica (semi-arid regions), marked by higher levels of α-pinene and limonene. Biological assays revealed strong antioxidant properties for var. pyramidalis (IC?? = 45.49 µg/mL for DPPH), while var. horizontalis showed the most effective inhibitory effects on tyrosinase (IC?? = 178.5 µg/mL) and collagenase (IC?? = 229.59 µg/mL), two enzymes involved in hyperpigmentation and skin aging. These results support the traditional use of C. sempervirens and highlight its essential oils as promising candidates for the development of natural ingredients in phytotherapeutic and cosmeceutical formulations, bridging ancestral knowledge with modern skincare innovations.

Biography:

Dr. Hanene Medini, I studied Biological Sciences at the Faculty of Sciences of Monastir, Tunisia, and graduated with an MS in 2001. I then worked in an analytical laboratory at the Ministry of Agriculture until 2003. In 2004, I joined the research group of Prof. Rachid Chemli in Pharmacognosy at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Monastir, where I obtained my PhD in 2012. In 2013, I was appointed Assistant professor in Pharmaceutical Botany and Plant Biology. Promoted to associate professor in 2016, I am currently preparing my habilitation. I have published 14 scientific articles and supervised several Master’s and PhD students.

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