Current Cosmetic Science - Current Issue

Background: Due to growing environmental concerns, eco-friendly and sustainable materials have become one of the key interests of cosmetics research. Isopropyl myristate is being used as a major cosmetic ingredient, like in many other cosmetic items, as an emollient for a long time.

Methods: An emollient ester, isopropyl ricinoleate, is derived from non-edible oil, castor oil. The synthesized isopropyl ricinoleate using greener enzyme catalysed methodology was further tested for sensory evaluation and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) studies.

Results: An ester, isopropyl ricinoleate, imparted better gloss and shine to the skin as compared to isopropyl myristate due to its higher refractive index. Both esters, isopropyl ricinoleate and isopropyl myristate, showed minimum tackiness and residue after spreading. Moreover, in-silico toxicity analysis of ester, isopropyl ricinoleate, supported previously reported in-vitro toxicity data.

Conclusion: Thus, the current study provides better insights on the replacement of emollient ester isopropyl myristate by isopropyl ricinoleate.

Background:Cannabis sativa seed oil has become more and more popular in cosmetic industry mainly due to the high content of antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids that are desirable in formulations because they prevent moisture loss and reduce the occurrence of dry skin.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Cannabis sativa seed oil on skin parameters such as hydration and transepidermal water loss.

Methods: The in vivo tests on volunteers with combination skin were performed by using corneometer and tewameter.

Results: The obtained results proved that Cannabis sativa seed oil improved skin condition. The transepidermal water loss decreased because the lipophilic components of the oil formulation tend to form an occlusive layer on the epidermis surface. The highest increase in skin hydration was observed after one week of treatment.

Conclusion: These results confirmed that Cannabis sativa seed oil has strong moisturizing properties and can be recommended as a natural-based skin conditioning agent.

Background: Dandruff is a common scalp condition affecting half of the population of the world.

Objective: The current study aimed at developing anti-dandruff shampoos containing tea tree oil, which is believed to be effective against Malassezia furfur, a fungus involved in dandruff production.

Methods: Various shampoos containing tea tree oil in 0.5 to 3% concentration were prepared after careful selection of various shampoo ingredients. The formulated shampoos were subjected to various quality tests such as pH, viscosity, foam production, dirt dispersion, wetting time, surface tension, solid contents, and antimicrobial activity against a model fungal strain, namely Candida albicans. The formulated shampoos were also compared with the marketed shampoos for quality attributes.

Results: The results revealed that tea tree oil shampoos had pH values in the range of 5 – 6, which is close to the slightly acidic skin’s pH and considered as good for hair. All other quality attributes were comparable to the marketed products. The marketed shampoos had superior antifungal activity due to the presence of zinc pyrithione or a higher concentration of salicylic acid or selenium sulfide. Notwithstanding, the tea tree oil shampoos demonstrated an appreciable antifungal activity due to synergistic effects of tea tree oil, sodium lauryl sulphate, and salicylic acid. Furthermore, the tea tree oil shampoos were stable during two months-long stability testing.

Conclusion: Thus, tea tree oil anti-dandruff shampoos have the potential to address the dandruff problem.

Background: α-Bisabolol (BIS) is a sesquiterpene extracted from the chamomile flowers, whose use to topically treat burn skin has been reported. High lipophilicity of BIS, however, is a problem for both skin application and washing.

Objective: The present study aimed to prepare and characterize a stable and safe aqueous-based nanoemulsion to incorporate BIS and favor skin penetration focusing on skin burns' topical treatment.

Methods: Oil-in-water nanoemulsions were obtained from a pseudo-ternary phase diagram. The selected nanoemulsion was characterized (droplet size, PDI, and zeta potential), and the stability was assessed for 60 days at 6ºC and room temperature. The irritability of the formulation was determined by HET-CAM. Skin permeation studies were carried out in vitro intact skin, hot water burn skin, and hot plate burn skin.

Results: The nanoemulsion incorporated 1% (w/w) BIS, presented droplets' size of 14.0±0.8 nm (PDI= 0.13±0.02), the zeta potential of +7.5±1.9 mV, and was physically stable over 60 days. The HET-CAM did not show any irritability process provided by the nanoformulation. In the skin permeation experiments, when compared to an oily control solution of BIS, nanoemulsion increased 3.7-fold penetration of the drug in intact skin, likely because the nanoformulation acted as an absorption drug enhancer. On a hot water burn skin model, the increase in drug penetration was 1.7-fold, and in the hot plate burn skin, it was 2.3-fold.

Conclusion: The nanoemulsion seems to be a promising alternative for skin burns' topical treatment using this natural active.

Background: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a tumor of endothelial derivation, which primarily affects the skin and is mainly related to the type 8 Human Herpesvirus (HHV8). Its onset is favored by immunosuppression, although the most common form is the classic or sporadic KS mainly developing in elderly men of Mediterranean and Eastern European origin. Different therapeutic options are available, depending on the clinical variant, progression pattern, and comorbidities. The treatment of localized forms includes surgical excision, laser treatment, cryosurgery, radiotherapy, imiquimod 5%, and intra-lesion injection of cytotoxic drugs; on the other hand, the treatment of widespread disease encompasses radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Methods: In this scenario, Electrochemotherapy (ECT), has shown to be an effective alternative to traditional treatment for disseminated KS skin lesions. The rationale of ECT relies on the local application of short, high-voltage electric pulses, able to open transient pores in the cell membrane (reversible electroporation that increases the delivery of some poorly permeant cytotoxic agents into the cytosol.

Results: Herein, we performed a retrospective analysis on 9 KS patients treated with ECT at our center between June 2016 and January 2020. The rate of Complete Response (CR) was 77.8% after the first cycle of treatment and 88.9% after the second course, with an overall response (OR) of 100%.

Conclusion: Sustained local control of treated lesions was present in 77.8% of patients 6 months after the treatment and all of them reported only mild local toxicity, together with an excellent functional and cosmetic outcome, in agreement with data obtained from the comparison with the recent literature.

In the past decades, nanocarriers have attracted attention as topical delivery systems for many compounds employed in the cosmetic field. This interest is justified by their ability to provide protection against degradation of liable molecules, the possibility to originate a local depot and prolong drug release, and the ability to overcome the barrier function of the skin and co-encapsulation of compounds of varying physicochemical characteristics. The properties of nanocarriers vary with their composition and structure, which, in turn, influence the outcomes of topical treatment. In this review, we focused on three types of nanocarriers (namely, lipid and surfactant-based vesicles, nanoemulsions, and lipid nanoparticles) and discussed their main characteristics, influence on cutaneous transport, stability, and pharmacological effects employed in the cosmetic field. We also provided examples of commercially available products that utilize the nanocarriers discussed as well as patents relevant to this field.

The human skin is a multi‐layered material consisting of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutis. The epidermis is the dominant structure that affects the properties of the skin, such as tensile strength and stiffness. The skin regulates body temperature, provides insulation, and protects inner organs. Skin structure has a substantial influence on skin biomechanics. For instance, anisotropy is a result of the alignment of elastin and collagen fibers in the dermis that compels the skin to exhibit greater tension in one direction, making it appear stiffer. The mechanical properties (such as stiffness, extensibility, and strength) of this organ are important from the clinical, cosmetic, and biomechanical standpoints. A fundamental understanding of skin mechanics is important for the development of useful products for cosmetology. As an illustration, changes in the mechanical properties of the skin can shed light on the efficacy of cosmeceutical formulations. In this review, we will highlight skin structure and then discuss the biomechanics of this important organ.