<![CDATA[Purpose of the study: This study aimed to formulate pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seed powder cream with variations in stearic acid and glyceryl monostearate concentrations, evaluate its physical characteristics, stability, safety and irritation potential, skin-moisturizing effectiveness, and active-compound permeation, while providing foundational implications for stable and effective plant-based topical cosmetic formulations. Methodology: Pumpkin seed powder was formulated into cream with variations of stearic acid and glyceryl monostearate. The formulations were evaluated for organoleptic properties, pH, viscosity (Brookfield viscometer), skin moisture (CR-302 skin analyzer), active-compound permeation (PermeGear Franz diffusion cell), and stability (cycling test). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 with the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene’s test, two-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc test. Main Findings: Pumpkin seed powder met the required quality standards based on moisture content, microbial quality, and particle size. All cream formulations were homogeneous, stable, non-irritating, and complied with physical-quality requirements. Formulations with higher emulsifier concentrations significantly improved skin moisture, oil balance, and skin softness (p< 0.05), while active-compound permeation increased progressively during diffusion. Novelty/Originality of this study: Previous studies focused on pumpkin seed extract or oil, whereas the direct incorporation of yellow pumpkin seed powder and the systematic evaluation of stearic acid and glyceryl monostearate variations on cream stability and skin permeation remained insufficiently explored. This study demonstrates the use of yellow pumpkin seed powder as a natural anti-aging ingredient by systematically comparing how emulsifier variations affect physicochemical characteristics, stability, skin-moisturizing performance, and in vitro skin permeation, providing comprehensive evidence for topical product development.]]>
