ABSTRACT
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is not just an important industrial crop but also a source of phytochemicals withdiverse biological and pharmacological activities. The study aimed at the investigation of the chemical compositionand the antimicrobial activity of resinoids obtained from three types of tobacco grown in Bulgaria (Virginia, Burley,and Oriental), and the properties of a model cosmetic gel incorporating tobacco resinoid as an active ingredient.The GC-MS composition of the resinoids was presented by aliphatic hydrocarbons (56.54%–68.30%), oxygenatedaliphatics (10.41%–20.45%), diterpenes (10.02%–18.63%), and triterpenes (4.55%–6.92%). The tested resinoids weremore effective against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 and Bacillus cereus) and yeasts (Candidaalbicans NBIMCC 74) than against Gram-negative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae). The resinoid of Oriental tobaccowas included as an active ingredient (1%) in a model cosmetic gel formulation. The rheological behavior of the gelcharacterized it as a non-Newtonian fluid. The inclusion of tobacco resinoid reduced gel viscosity in the applied stressrange (1.5 ÷ 72.9 s-1). The outcomes from the study suggest that tobacco resinoid is a suitable ingredient of cosmeticgels, contributing to their organoleptic and functional properties.