Malang, E Java (ANTARA) - Five students from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Brawijaya University (FPIK UB) have created a body lotion from moringa leaves and catfish skin as raw materials to prevent COVID-19.
"We created the body lotion, as (we were) inspired by the mass usage of hand sanitizers that dehydrated the skin instead, thereby causing skin dryness," a member of the developer team Indri Dwi Fitria stated in Malang, East Java, on Friday.
The five students were Indri Dwi Fitria, Rani Elvira, Jamiilah Zahrotul Jannah, Kevin, and Alfain Homis Fadil, who were overseen by lecturer Muhammad Fakhri, S.Pi, M.P, M.Sc.
Fitria stated that body lotion was still used by many people, as it offers benefits, such as providing skin nutrients and possessing moisturizing properties. However, the use of synthetic materials, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and paraben, in the body lotion has negative side-effects following long-term use and was proven to be carcinogenic.
To solve the issue, Fitria and her teammates prepared the body lotion by using flavonoid found in moringa leaves and skin collagen from catfish. It was called MORISTIN, a portmanteau of moringa oleifera and catfish skin.
"Substances present in moringa leaves, such as apilin, epicatehin, and hesperetin, have a good affinity for the active side of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), thereby ceasing the interaction with SARS-Cov-2," she expounded.
Fitria further noted that the collagen from catfish had anti-aging properties, prevented wrinkles, moisturized skin, and increased skin elasticity.
Fitria deemed MORISTIN as a safe skincare product that offered extra protection and had no side-effects on long-term usage. The product was an antiseptic body lotion rich in antioxidants, moisturized the skin, offered UV protection, and was safe from bacteria and virus.
MORISTIN is available in the three variants of Orange Fresh, Choco Melt, and Vanilla Sweet, according to Fitria. It was available in two sizes of 250 ml priced at Rp50,000 (around three US dollars) per bottle and the 60-ml bottle costing Rp15,000 (about one US dollar).
The body lotions were sold online on several online shopping platforms, such as Shopee (@moristin.id) and Tokopedia (moristin_id). Moreover, they had an Instagram handle (@moristin.id) to notify potential buyers of new information.
"With MORISTIN, (we) hope to draw the people's attention, so they will always apply health protocols and stay safe during the pandemic without worrying about the side-effects from the routine use of body lotion," Fitria stated.
MORISTIN received research funding from the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry during the 2021 Student Creativity Week for Entrepreneurship.
