Future of Engineering
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Chitosan Nanocontainers – a UV-resistant Formulation For Skin Care
Supason Wanichwecharungruang and her colleagues have made a breakthrough in this field with chitosan nanocontainers – a UV-resistant formulation with controlled release properties
Encapsulation of cosmetic or personal care compounds has become very popular and technologically developed during the recent years. Many Shampoos, lipsticks, face creams, and even toothpastes contain minute envelopes with tiny molecular messages inside.
(Image credit: Chulalongkorn University)
Designed as a small-scale mail system, these envelopes protect and deliver active ingredients that might otherwise degrade or get lost before they get to their intended destinations. The presence of moisture in the skin might serve as the trigger, or it could be the change from the basic pH in the bottle to the acid environment on the skin. Even bacteria that occur naturally on the skin could be what breaks open some of these microcapsules.
Simple encapsulant systems have been around for years, but they have recently become more sophisticated with the arrival of nanotechnology. The market for encapsulation technologies is so attractive that newcomers continue to enter it with novel technologies. The recent entrants are from the Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
Existing encapsulating systems had their limitations. They were prone to photodegradation. Good storage containers helped a bit by reducing the rate of photodegradation. But it cannot prevent the loss of the chemical’s properties when it is exposed to the sun. Though the formula of a cosmetic looks good, it cannot effectively deliver due to this loss.
Supason’s team have cracked the code with the UV-absoptive-nanocontainer. Cosmetics enhanced with chitosan nanospheres prevents photo degradation or atleast reduces it. UV-absorptive chitosan nanospheres are more than just a light filter. The material also controls the release of the encapsulated active material.
Penetrating the dermis is most important for skin care products to be effective. And by using Nano Encapsulation Technology, ultra-deep penetration in the lower levels of the aging skin is made possible.
