Abstract

Introduction: The Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L. f.) is a Brazilian native palm tree. Its fruit has a hard shell and scaly covering a soft and oily pulp. Buriti oil is rich in oleic acid, also being considered natural source of beta-carotene, one of the most powerful antioxidants, becoming an excellent alternative for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

Methods: The fruits collected in the State Forest Antimary (Bujari city, Acre – Brazil) were processed, dried and then the oil was extracted by cold mechanical pressing. Chromatographic analyzes and the following physico-chemical analyses, according to the AOCS norms, were performed: Acid Index (AI), Peroxide Index (PI) and Saponification Index (SI). Samples of different batches were submitted to the gas chromatograph.

Results: After verified the excellent quality of the oil, a formulation of a three-phase oil for the skin hydration was prepared. From the physical and chemical analyzes, the average results for each parameter were compared with them limit by the RDC-270 ANVISA standard.

Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the analyzed oils have great composition for using in cosmetics; it is an excellent raw material for the production of three-phase oil, when accompanied with other elements, such as mineral oil and propylene glycol, which has the capacity of hydration and smoothness of the skin.