When the Kings of Orient offered gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus,¹ they might have surmised that, irrespective of their symbological meaning, those substances were to have future applications in medicine and skincare …after all, they were Magi, well versed in astrology!

Gold

Gold is of interest for decoration because of its beautiful color, because it is ductile and malleable, and because it is reticent to form chemical bonds with other elements. It is therefore mainly used to make jewels and illuminations, and to decorate frames for mirrors and paintings, as well as to embody financial assets. In spite of its poor chemical reactivity, gold forms salts and acids such as gold trisulfide or chloroauric acid, and can be dissolved by the so-called Royal Water, a mixture of HCl and HNO­₃.

Reducing chloroauric acid with sodium citrate allows one to obtain a suspension of gold nanoparticles, called colloidal gold. Other pathways can also be followed to obtain colloidal gold. One interesting feature of colloidal gold is that it is a good scatterer of electrons and appears as “black” in Electron Transmission Microscopy images. Since it binds quite easily to antibodies, it can be used to map by electron microscopy the position within a cell or a tissue, of particular molecules by using antibodies against these molecules attached to colloidal gold.

According to the size of the nanoparticles, colloidal gold can have different colors, and this makes it interesting for color cosmetics. Used as ingredient in skin care products, colloidal gold can provide delicate nuances of color; it might reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; according to the concentration used, it might even provide some protection against UV…but there is a consensus among skin care scientists that the claimed physiological benefits of colloidal gold are far from proven.

Frankincense

Frankincense is a resin that comes from the trunk of the Boswellia tree. It can be burned to produce an aromatic smoke that has been used for thousands of years in religious ceremonies in the Middle East and later in Christian liturgies. Frankincense smoke had perhaps a hygienic function to refine the smell of large congregations of people and to purify indoor air. As for every smoke, though, the content of particulate matter can be high and dangerous for one’s lungs.

Frankincense resin contains mono- (13%) and diterpenes (40%) as well as ethyl acetate (21.4%), octyl acetate (13.4%) and methylanisole (7.6%). Among the terpenes one finds 11-keto-ß-acetyl-beta-boswellic acid, acetyl-11-keto-ß-boswellic acid and acetyl-α-boswellic acid. Frankincense oil can be obtained by steam distillation.² It is a free-flowing liquid with a pale yellow color. The major components of frankincense oil are B-pinene, A-pinene, isoterpinolene, a-phellandrene,  B-phellandrene,  sabinene, B-myrcene,  d-limonene, cis-ocimene, n-octanol, octyl-formate, octyl-acetate, B-citronellol, 1-decanol and isopinocampheol.

People use its oil on the skin and in aromatherapy. Frankincense oil seems to kill some types of bacteria and yeasts. It is commonly used as a fragrance in soaps, lotions and perfumes. Frankincense oil has been claimed to have anti-acne benefits. I did not find clinical evidence for this in the literature and, moreover, I would not recommend this application because acne pimples are like open wounds and I would not recommend adding essential oils, many of which have allergizing properties, on acneic skin.

Traditional medicine claims Frankincense to have anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiseptic, and even anxiolytic and anti-neurotic effects. All this awaits clinical tests.

Myrrh

Myrrh is a resin extracted from many tree species of the genus Commiphora. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume and as medicine. Mixed with wine it was used to produce pleasurable feelings and as an analgesic: this is perhaps the reason why a mixture of wine and myrrh has reportedly been offered to Jesus during His crucifixion.³ In Egypt, myrrh was used for embalming and, paradoxically, Joseph of Arimatea and Nicodemus wrapped the body of Jesus in a sheet slathered with myrrh.⁴

The composition of one ethanolic extract of myrrh resin is described.⁵ Its main constituents are limonene, curzerene, germacrene B, isocericenine, myrcenol, beta selinene and spathulenol. According to Massoud and coworkers,⁶ myrrh is effective for treating the parasitic infection fascioliasis. Myrrh has notable antibacterial activities⁷ and its traditional wound-healing properties have been confirmed in modern literature.⁸ This seems to support the claims that Myrrh essential oils facilitate the fading of blemishes while soothing itchiness and reducing eczema symptoms. Myrrh could also be thought of as an ingredient for products addressing the cutaneous microbiome. As of today, myrrh is recommended to be used in skincare because of its properties as antimicrobial, astringent, stimulant, tonic, anti-inflammatory and cicatrizant. 

References

1. Matthew, 2, 11
2. Adhari Said Al Amri et al (2019) Extraction of Essential Oils from Frankincense Using Steam Distillation. International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 6(1), ISSN: 2394-9333 www.ijtrd.com
3. Mark, 15, 23
4. John, 19, 39-40
5. Ahamad SR, Al-Ghadeer AR, Ali R, Qamar W, Aljarboa S. (2017) Analysis of inorganic and organic constituents of myrrh resin by GC-MS and ICP-MS: An emphasis on medicinal assets. Saudi Pharm J. 25 :788-794. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2016.10.011. Epub 2016 Nov 20. PMID: 28725152; PMCID: PMC5506701.
6. Massoud A, El Sisi S, Salama O (2001) Preliminary study of therapeutic efficacy of a new fasciolicidal drug derived from Commiphora molmol (myrrh). Am J Trop Med Hyg 65:96–99 
7. Khalil N, Fikry S, Salama O (2020) Bactericidal activity of Myrrh extracts and two dosage forms against standard bacterial strains and multidrug-resistant clinical isolates with GC/MS profiling. AMB Express. 10(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s13568-020-0958-3. PMID: 31993779; PMCID: PMC6987268.
8. Gebrehiwot M, Asres K, Bisrat D, Mazumder A, Lindemann P, Bucar F. (2015) Evaluation of the wound healing property of Commiphora guidottii Chiov. ex. Guid. BMC Complement Altern Med.15 : 282-296. doi: 10.1186/s12906-015-0813-2. PMID: 26283230; PMCID: PMC4538748.

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Paolo Giacomoni, PhD
Insight Analysis Consulting
[email protected]
516-769-6904
 
Paolo Giacomoni acts as an independent consultant to the skin care industry. He served as Executive Director of Research at Estée Lauder and was Head of the Department of Biology with L’Oréal. He has built a record of achievements through research on DNA damage and metabolic impairment induced by UV radiation as well as on the positive effects of vitamins and antioxidants. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has more than 20 patents. He is presently Head of R&D with L.RAPHAEL—The science of beauty—Geneva, Switzerland.