NaDES Application in Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Fields: An Overview

Abstract

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) represent a new generation of green, non-flammable solvents, useful as an efficient alternative to the well-known ionic liquids. They can be easily prepared and exhibit unexpected solubilizing power for lipophilic molecules, although those of a hydrophilic nature are mostly used. For their unique properties, they can be recommend for different cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications, ranging from sustainable extraction, obtaining ready-to-use ingredients, to the development of biocompatible drug delivery responsive systems. In the biomedical field, NaDES can be used as biopolymer modifiers, acting as delivery compounds also known as “therapeutic deep eutectic systems”, being able to solubilize and stabilize different chemical and galenical formulations. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the current knowledge regarding natural deep eutectic solvents specifically applied in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields. The work could help to disclose new opportunities and challenges for their implementation not only as green alternative solvents but also as potential useful pathways to deliver bioactive ingredients in innovative formulations.

Exploring Phenolic Compounds Extraction from Saffron (C. sativus) Floral By-Products Using Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction, and Subcritical Water Extraction

“…The lowest TAC was observed in 16DES, with 4.58 ± 0.32 mg/g dp, and the lowest TFC was noticed in 13DES, with 73.25 ± 3.66 mg/g dp. Moreover, several studies demonstrate how various DESs can be employed as is by the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food sectors using, for example, solvents similar to the ones we used, such as lactic acid, glycerol, or urea [ 54 , 55 ].…”

Strategies to Prepare Chitin and Chitosan-Based Bioactive Structures Aided by Deep Eutectic Solvents: A Review

“…In this sense, and to highlight this last aspect, the term NADESs (natural deep eutectic solvents) was coined some time ago [121,122]. Though the concept of NADESs holds allure and may find relevance in plant biology or biochemistry, it has been overexploited within the domain of novel green solvents, being generally accepted as a paradigm of the inherent sustainability of these solvents [114,[123][124][125][126][127]]. Yet, the sustainability and natural origin of the precursors most widely used to prepare DESs are questionable, as recently emphasized by Abranches and Coutinho [108]; for instance, choline, although it could be sourced from biochemical pathways and living organisms, is produced on a large scale by hydrogen chloride reacting with trimethylamine and ethylene oxide.…”