Current Advances of Nanocarrier Technology-Based Active Cosmetic Ingredients for Beauty Applications

Abstract

Nanocarrier technology has been effectively applied to the development of drug delivery systems to overcome the limitations of traditional preparation. Its application has been extended to various pharmaceutical fields from injection preparation to oral preparation and external preparation, and now it has appeared in the field of cosmetics for beauty applications. The widespread influence of nanocarrier in the cosmetics industry is due to the fact that nanocarrier can effectively promote the percutaneous penetration and significantly increase skin retention of active components in functional cosmetics. Meanwhile, nanocarrier can effectively improve the water dispersion of insoluble active cosmetic ingredients, enhance the stability of efficacy components and achieve the codelivery of diverse cosmetics active ingredients. In this review, we summarized the current progress of nanocarrier technology in the functional cosmetics, including the types and the routes of dermal/ transdermal drug delivery nanocarriers used in the functional cosmetics, the mechanism of nanocarriers promoting the percutaneous penetration of active cosmetic ingredients, the application and efficacy evaluation of different active cosmetic ingredients in nanocarriers and discussing the potential risks to human. This will provide a useful reference for the further development of nanocarriers in the field of functional cosmetics.

Nanocarriers as Active Ingredients Enhancers in the Cosmetic Industry—The European and North America Regulation Challenges

“…The primary characteristic of a nanocarrier is its size. The size of the particle is of utmost importance as it influences the biological properties of the carrier [ 62 ]. Indeed, the size influences the penetration ability and cellular uptake of nanocarriers as well as the encapsulation, blood circulation time, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics [ 63 ].…”

“…In turn, these modifications can positively affect the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of active components. Moreover, the therapeutic effect and bioavailability of cosmetic efficacy components can be intensified, and its adverse reactions can be attenuated by encapsulation [ 62 ]. Given the positive impact of nanocarriers on the improvement of cosmetic products, various novel carrier systems and nanomaterials have been developed ( Table 1 ).…”

“…The utilization of nanocarriers in cosmetic products enhances the solubility and stability of active components and overcomes the cuticle barrier effect. This effect allows the active cosmetics ingredients to enter the skin target site to perform its function in a controlled, sustained, and long-term release, hence solving several skin problems and skin diseases [ 62 ] and at the same time, improving the consumers’ quality of life ( Figure 9 ).…”

Nanosystems in Cosmetic Products: A Brief Overview of Functional, Market, Regulatory and Safety Concerns

“…Interestingly, the application of nanotechnology in skin care cosmetics can also promote the development of dermal (and transdermal) drug delivery. With the breakthroughs in preparation technology, quality control and mechanisms that promote permeability, it can be expected that the use of innovative nanosystems in the pharmaceutical field will increase in the near future [ 10 ]. Indeed, unlike in cosmetic products, in transdermal nanomedicines, transcutaneous permeation is a desirable phenomenon, which is governed by the same principles, and hampered by the same physiological barriers that act when a cosmetic product is applied to the skin.…”

“…However, the current regulatory demands as to the safety of nanomaterials in the cosmetics field, as well as the relevant studies performed to assess this issue, could have implications on future pharmaceutical guidelines. To this aim, it is necessary to improve the development of harmonized regulations and establish a standardized evaluation system for the assessment of the efficacy and safety of cosmetic nanomaterials, that, in the future, might also be applied to nano-structured pharmaceutical preparations [ 10 ].…”