surface of the skin (Norman, 2008). However, free
water content needs to control the corneodesmolysis
process. Adequate levels of fat are needed to
maintain the water content. Skin is not properly
hydrated cannot provide this water. For that deficit
in skin hydration and fat components contribute to
xerosis. Therefore, the ability of the skin to retain
moisture and maintain an effective barrier is crucial
for xerosis in the skin of elderly patients (Norman,
2008).
To overcome dry skin problem, TEWL (trans-
epidermal water loss) should be reduced by
providing hydrated and moisturizing ingredients that
are water soluble and lubricating and occlusion
which is not soluble in water. Moisturizer is believed
to prevent water loss through transepidermal through
the occlusion. Although the Stratum corneum (SC)
acts as dead tissue, it also acts as an active
membrane that acts as a brick and mortar. Loss of
intercellular lipids/fats such as ceramides,
cholesterol and fatty acids that form bilayers,
damaging water-limiting formations that cause dry
skin. Dry skin occurs if the moisturizing content <10%
and loss of continuity of the stratum corneum occurs
(Sethi, Kaur, & Gambhir, 2016).
This research is important because most of the
skin moisturizer uses synthetic ingredients while
some studies show it has side effects on long-term
use. For this reason, a study is needed to replace the
synthetic ingredients with active components of
herbs with good assistance to reduce side effects
(Okereke J.N., 2015).
The interesting thing from this research is that
we can utilize the kepok banana peels that are
released daily as organic waste into skin
moisturizing ingredients that have a beneficial
selling value. Based on government data the
production of bananas in Indonesia in 2011 reached
6,189,052 tons. Banana peels is 1/3 from unripe
bananas, so the amount of banana peels was
2,063,017 tons per year in Indonesia. Kepok banana
was chosen in this study because it has a thicker skin
compared to other banana peels. Banana peels have
higher antioxidant activity compared to their flesh
(Riska Afliani, 2014) but the research is still limited
to the antioxidant test of ethanol extract of meat and
peel of banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) with DPPH
method, there has been no analysis conducted on the
effectiveness of tannin on kepok banana peel on
increasing skin moisture.
Banana kepok has many types, but the famous
ones are yellow kepok banana and white kepok.
Yellow kepok flesh is yellow, while white kepok is
white. The pulp is rather hard. Yellow banana has a
sweeter and tastier taste than white kepok. Kepok
banana is not fragrant. Fruit skin is very thick. The
ripe fruit is yellowish-green. In one bunch there can
be up to 16 combs and on each comb, there are up to
20 bananas. The weight of each sign is around 14-22
kg. Fruit suiTable to be eaten in processed form
(Cahyono, 2009).
Banana plants are widely used for various
purposes of human life and are known as
multipurpose plants because, in addition to the fruit,
other plant parts can also be used, ranging from
tubers to their leaves (Cahyono, 2009). In the field
of medicine, bananas are known for their beneficial
effects on digestion and cell rejuvenation effects.
Bananas help retention of calcium, phosphorus, and
nitrogen, which helps to regenerate tissue. Also,
bananas have benefits to overcome constipation and
diarrhea, overcome dysentery, reduce the symptoms
of arthritis and gout, treat anemia, uremia, treat
menstrual problems, and allergies (Arya, 2014). The
efficacy of raw and ripe of banana peel have been
studied by Okorie et al (2015). They suggested that
mineral has play role, where as the composition
described in Table 1.
Table 1. Mineral composition of raw and ripe banana peel.
Mineral Raw peel Ripe peel
Ca 11.02 ± 1.44 6.01 ± 0.27
Mg 3.04 ± 0.06 2.31 ± 0.44
K 9.89 ± 1.17 9.83 ± 1.17
Na 6.18 ± 0.03 6.09 ± 0.13
P 0.61 ± 0.01 0.49 ± 0.01
Zn 0.95 ± 0.07 1.86 ± 0.23
Cu 0.49 ± 0.01 0.85 ± 0.07
Pb 0.07 ± 0.03 0.40 ± 0.01
Fe 215.75 ± 8.13 20.40 ± 0.57
Based on the literature studies, the benefits of
kepok banana peel extract on skin moisture with
application to the skin and analyzed with skin
analyzer have been proposed to be the objective of
this research.