Abstract

Since the Arabian Middle Ages, essential oilshave been widely used in the pharmaceutical, sanitary,cosmetic, agricultural, and food industries, especially toimprove human health. These oils contain a variety ofvolatile compounds such as hydrocarbons andoxygenated compounds. In this paper, we discuss thepossible roles and modes of action of some essential oilsused in the treatment of skin conditions. In this study, wealso tested their use as anti-inflammatory agents, antiwrinkleagents, or topical anti-bacterial agents, and theirability to promote hair growth and prevent greying.Essential oils have two main advantages: They neitherpose long-term genotoxic risks nor cause drug resistancein skin pathogens. Moreover, some essential oils possesspotent antimutagenic activity possibly related to theirbiological activity. Thus, in future, these essential oils andtheir constituents can be considered in clinical practice,for clinical evaluations, and as an adjuvant therapy.