Films in Russian Medicine and Cosmetology: Development History, Classification, Technology

Abstract

Since the moment of their appearance in the second half of the 20th century, application forms have attracted the attention of the specialists involved in the skin application of pharmacologically active agents. Herewith, both localized exposure to the external integuments and the possibility of achieving a systemic effect, are of interest. The range of products used in modern films, is also wide – from pharmaceutical substances to biologically active components of cosmetics.The aim of the present work is to study the current state of research in the field of the creation and improvement of medicinal and cosmeceutical films.Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the base of patent information (fips.ru, findpatent.ru) and information and search databases - the State register of medicines (grls.rosminzdrav.ru) and the data from the Federal accreditation service (www.fsa.gov.ru), as well as scientific libraries (Google Scholar, eLIBRARY, PubMed) and reference literature.Results. Native and foreign medicinal films have longer than a 50-year history of their existence in the pharmaceutical market. Modern scientists’ interest in this application form, does not fade away due to a great number of its positive characteristics. In addition to pharmaceutical applications, films are widely used in cosmetics in the form of masks applied to the skin. Biologically active substances are widely used in cosmetics which, in recent years, has led to the emergence of a group of cosmeceutical products that combine medical and cosmetic films. The article also discusses film manufacturing technology, active substances, as well as polymers used for medicinal and cosmetic films presented in the Russian market.Conclusion. The analysis of the literature data makes it possible to conclude that the development of films is promising in both medicine and cosmeceuticals.