Liquid Crystal O/W Emulsions to Mimic Lipids and Strengthen Skin Barrier Function

By: In-Young Kim, PhD; Sayaka Nakagawa; Kinka Ri, PhD; Satoru Hashimoto, PhD; and Hitoshi Masaki, PhD, Nikkol Group

Posted: June 30, 2009, from the July 2009 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Intercellular lipids of the stratum corneum (SC) form a lamellar structure (LS) that consists mainly of ceramides, cholesterols and fatty acids as amphiphilic substances, and that demonstrates significant skin barrier function.^{1, 2} This natural liquid crystalline (LC) structure has a bi-continuous composition of water and amphiphilic lipids, and simultaneously possesses high moisturizing and water loss prevention effects.³

In the past, much work has been devoted to preparing emulsions using the self-organization of structures formed in mixed systems of surfactants and amphiphilic lipids—such as fatty alcohols, fatty acids, lecithin, polyglycerol alkyl ethers and mono alkyl phosphates, among others—to develop bio-mimetic LC emulsions.^4-7 In relation, Suzuki et al. disclosed work in this field describing a bio-mimetic lamellar LC system based instead on synthetic ceramides.8 Figure 1 exemplifies a schematic illustration of oil droplets surrounded by liquid crystals, forming LC o/w emulsions.

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