Ointments liquid crystal

Usually the surfactant concentration in ointments and creams is significantly lower than in surfactant gels. Ointments are non-aqueous preparations, whereas creams result from ointments by adding water. The microstructure of both ointments and creams may consist of liquid crystals, as long as a liquid crystalline network or matrix is formed by amphiphilic molecules. In a liquid crystalline matrix, it is easier to deform the system by shear such formulations show plastic and thixotropic flow behavior on shear. In comparison to systems with a crystalline matrix which are usually destroyed irreversibly by shear, those with a liquid crystalline matrix exhibit a short regeneration time of... 

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