INNOVATION OF GREEN ESSENTIAL OIL NANOEMULSION (EO-NES) COMBINING NUTMEG (MYRISTICAFRAGRANS) AND GINGERGRASS (CYMBOPOGONMARTINIIVAR. SOFIA): POTENTIAL AS A HALAL COSMETIC PRESERVATIVE

Objective: Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) and Gingergrass (Cymbopogon martinii var. sofia) essential oils in nanoemulsions promising antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. This study aimed to optimize the formulation of essential oil nanoemulsions (EO-NEs) combining Nutmeg and Gingergrass using the Simplex Lattice Design (SLD) and antimicrobial effectiveness as a halal cosmetic preservative. Methods: The nanoemulsions were prepared using a high-energy homogenization method with Tween 80 as the surfactant. Optimization was conducted using SLD to determine the optimal combination of essential oils and surfactant. Physical characterizations, including particle size, viscosity, pH, and stability, were performed. Antimicrobial activity was assessed using the disc diffusion method against bacteria and fungi. Results: The optimized EO-NEs showed that the ratio of 0.591% Nutmeg and 9.409% Gingergrass is the optimum mixture that produces physical properties of viscosity 9.39; pH 3.95; particle size 89.44; zeta potential -10.95; transmittance 88.04with good stability and a desirability value of 0.915. Thermal cycle stability testing showed only minor changes in physical properties. Antimicrobial evaluation revealed that the EO-NEs demonstrated significant inhibitory effects, withno bacterial growth