Sucrose Ester Multilamellar Emulsifiers for Skin Moisturization

Sucrose esters are well-known natural emulsifiers and while they are desired for their mildness and safety, they also are relatively expensive when compared with other emulsifiers. Accordingly, they have not been used as widely as they might at lower costs. In response, the authors have developed¹ an emulsifier system comprising a mixture of ethylene oxide-free sucrose esters used at low levelsa to improve their cost-effeciency. This blend is shown to form multi-lamellar liquid crystalline networks that impart various benefits including skin moisturization, assessed here. Further, most cosmetic compositions prepared with the blend can be formulated with minimal regard to HLB due to the emulsion stabilization provided by multilamellar liquid crystals, which minimize emulsion coalescence.