Ethanol Extract of Frankincense: Study of Antifungal Potential

Nora Susanti (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, North Sumatra)
Ruth Maria Meylisa Br Hutapea (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, North Sumatra)
Maria Aprina Br Surbakti (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, North Sumatra)
Muhammad Nizam (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, North Sumatra)
Marini Damanik (Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, North Sumatra)

Majalah Obat Tradisional
Vol 31, No 2 (2026)

Natural products for phytopharmaca and cosmetics play a valuable role in the pharmaceutical industry. The sap of this plant contains secondary metabolic compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, and has been proven to exhibit several biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antimutagenic properties. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the antifungal potential of the Indonesian indigenous frankincense (Styrax benzoin) extract before and after formulation as liquid soap. The result showed that both frankincense and the liquid soap formulations containing 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% extract exhibited strong growth inhibition against Candida albicans, Malassezia furfur, and Pityrosporum ovale using the disc paper method, comparable to the ketoconazole positive control. The lower frankincense concentration of 2% and 4% liquid soap maintained a stable appearance, acidity, and viscosity after storage.