Skin care active ingredients

Figure 9.7.1 Biological targets for skin care active ingredients.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOFI), also called lye, soda lye, or caustic soda to distinguish it from potassium hydroxide (potash lye), is another important base. Flistorically, lye was obtained from the ashes of wood and used to make soap. Lye, however, is an extremely caustic chemical. It can cause serious chemical burns if it comes into contact with the skin and permanent blindness if it gets into the eyes. People had to be very careful while making the soap. They also had to make sure they got the mixture of lye and animal fat (lard) correct to keep from hurting themselves and their families. Because of its caustic (corrosive) nature, sodium hydroxide is also used as the active ingredient in oven and drain cleaners. 

The ability to encapsulate active ingredients in emulsions, foams, and suspensions, is leading manufacturers to make personal care products that are also pharmaceutical, termed cosmeceuticals. Examples creams with anti-wrinkle properties, lotions with anti-baldness effects, and sunscreens that treat skin damage (see also Chapter 15). 

Barel, A. O. Clarys, P. Manou, 1. Objective evaluation of the cosmetic use of some selected essential oils as "active ingredients" in skin care products, in In-Cosmet. 1997. 1997 Verlag fuer Chemische Industrie H. Ziolkowsky, Augsburg, Germany., pp 109-121. 

Despite the extensive traditional and current use of Hypericum in skin care and skin disorders targeted pharmacological studies related to these applications have rarely been performed. In a preliminary experimental study in human volunteers, equal quantities of hydroglycolic extracts from Calendula officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Anthemis nobilis, Tilia chordata, Centaurea cyanus and Hypericum perforatum were added at a 5 % level into the aqueous phase of 0.5 % hydrocortisone cream. When this preparation was applied to artificially induced skin abrasions, it was found that the plant extracts containing cream accelerated the healing time on an average of 16 % (3.4 days) versus the control [173). However, from this study no conclusions on the active ingredients and the mode of action can be drawn. 

Due to the side effects and environmental impacts of chemical compounds, herbal cosmetics, which contain botanical extracts, have drawn consumer interest and have become a niche in cosmetics and personal care industry since early 1990s. Certain microbial-derived compounds have shown interesting skin and hair care properties that make them efficient active ingredients in cosmetic compositions. 

Function in Formula Skin conditioning agent, delivery and deposition of active ingredient Use Concentration 0.5-2% in personal care formulations Solubility Characteristics Insoluble in w ater, soluble in alcohol... 

Personal Care. The addition of PEO provides a silky feel to solid and liquid products. This imique lubricious property has been successfully exploited in formulation of razor strips (202,203) and in shampoos, detergents, and other personal care applications. The combination of water solubility and the ability to produce films and other devices by thermoplastic processing enables the use of the PEO in flushable articles (204-207). PEO has also been used as an antimisting agent in personal care and cleaning formulations (208) and has been shown to enhance the deposition of active ingredients to the hair and skin, as well as to act as a foam enhancer (209). Fundamental investigations have examined the interaction of PEO and surfactants in aqueous solutions (210-213). 

These results show the interest of our approach based upon biomimicry and green chemistry to select a new active ingredient of high performance in skin anti-ageing strategy. Compound 18 selected as the best activator of the biosynthesis of GAGs in vitro, was further confirmed also very active in vivo in a clinical trial when topically applied. Introduced in cosmetic skin care products,it has been marketed under the trade name Pro-Xylane . 

The broad activity spectrum of Triclosan, its stability, its good skin compatibility and favourable toxicological profile make the microbicide to an ideal active ingredient for skin care and oral care products, for hand surface disinfectants, for household products and for the antimicrobial treatment of polymers. 

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