Structured Surfactant Systems for Improved Lasting Deposition of Perfume on Skin and Hair

A majority of cleansing formulations on the market are made of surfactants that form simple micelles. This organization of the surfactants, however, often fails to provide enough yield to durably suspend insoluble ingredients such as silicone emulsions, anti-dandruff particles or moisturizing oils. Thus, they require the addition of a rheological polymer agent, e.g., carbomer or acrylates copolymer, which can jeopardize sensorial attributes of the product including foam and texture, as well as performance.

Recently, surfactant technologies forming multilamellar vesicles have been developed and introduced into cleansing formulations that durably suspend insoluble ingredients without the need for a suspending agent. Previously it has been shown that structured surfactant systems can be used to design cleansing products to deliver improved consumer benefits, such as skin moisturization and hair conditioning, over micellar systems. Structured surfactant systems also enable the design of multifunctional products.1, 2 The present article considers their effects on fragrance in cleansing products.

Fragrance plays a key role in consumer appeal and brand differentiation and is therefore a crucial component of cleansing formulations; typically, it is also the most costly. Increasing the effectiveness of perfume burst and delivery are therefore two approaches to minimizing formulation costs. This article describes how to formulate structured formulations to deliver the most fragrance to skin or hair, versus micellar systems, as well as improve its duration with no negative impact on perfume burst.

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