On the last decades, the concerns related with food by-products, and their associated environmental problems, arise as a challenge not only for agro-food industries but also for consumers and governments (1). According to the most recent data, 88 million tonnes of food waste are annually generated in the European Union (EU) and the associated costs amount to 143 billion euros (2). Fruits and vegetables by-products and wastes represent 8% of the total amount, being the 5th highest contributors (3). Fruit losses, also known as fruit wastes, are mainly represented by fruits that are removed from the production line due to the absence of the caliber defined by authorities to be commercialized or due to the presence of superficial damages, while food by-products are composed by peels, pomace, flowers, stems, leaves, seeds, or pulps generated during the industrial production (4).
Most of these residues are not transformed due to technical limitations or difficulties into the market access, being discarded or redirected to non-food use (5). However, the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the EU aim to halve the per capita food waste at all levels by 2030, it is then urgent to find solutions to deal with this problem (6). These hot topics raise awareness of researchers for the bioactive composition of food wastes and by-products. Therefore, an implementation of circular economy aligned with the 2030 Agenda goals is expected by different industries, including the cosmetic one. On the other hand, consumers are more aware about the sustainability questions of the ingredients used in the cosmetic field. In parallel, the increase of the average life expectancy, particularly in developed countries, led to new paradigms related with beauty and, consequently, to the search of new natural compounds with anti-aging effects. Among the wide range of bioactive compounds, polyphenols are the most interesting due to health benefits, being found in fruit by-products (7-9). Various studies support the biological skin effects of polyphenols, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial (10). Furthermore, natural compounds are normally associated by consumers to safety and efficacy, despite in some cases this idea is not completely true. Over the last years, research groups from various countries reported the rich content of fruit by-products that may provide skin beneficial effects, such as antiwrinkle, photoprotection, depigmentation, anti-cellulite, or anti-inflammatory activities, among others (9, 11).
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