The development of functional nanoparticles and their use in cosmetic industry has gained a great attention in the past decades. Improvement of transparency, color, and long-lasting effect is an example of the advantages by using nanoparticles in cosmetic products. Thus, leading cosmetic companies have incorporated various nanoparticles into their product lines, such as skin care and decorative cosmetics. Among many nanoparticles, hydrogel-based nanoparticles (i.e. nanogels) can be characterized by their solvent absorbing properties that enable not only to hold hydrophilic or hydrophobic solutions within their structure but also to release them in a controlled manner. Here, we hypothesize that functional nanogels can be utilized to control the release of solvent and cosmetically active molecules to enhance their effect on the skins. Responsive nanogels that are composed of N-Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and acrylic acid (AAc) were used to test the hypothesis in response to changes in the solution properties including pH, salt concentration, hydrophobicity, and hydrophilicity. Since poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (pNIPAm-co-AAc) nanogels are known to absorb solution and active molecules through hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, and osmotic pressure, changes in solution properties allow to modulate the release profile of the solutions. Our study would provide valuable information to apply the responsive nanogels for the development of novel cosmetic and healthcare products toward enhanced treatments of abnormal dry skin. It might be worthwhile to further investigate the controlled release of active molecules in correlation with unmet needs in cosmetic and healthcare industries.

Hydrogel nanoparticle as a controlled delivery system in cosmetic applications toward advanced treatment of abnormal dry skin

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.