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Review
. 2017 Sep 21;9(4):37.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics9040037.

Topical Nano and Microemulsions for Skin Delivery

Christofori M R R Nastiti  1   2 , Thellie Ponto  3 , Eman Abd  4 , Jeffrey E Grice  5 , Heather A E Benson  6 , Michael S Roberts  7   8
Affiliations
Review

Topical Nano and Microemulsions for Skin Delivery

Christofori M R R Nastiti et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

Nanosystems such as microemulsions (ME) and nanoemulsions (NE) offer considerable opportunities for targeted drug delivery to and via the skin. ME and NE are stable colloidal systems composed of oil and water, stabilised by a mixture of surfactants and cosurfactants, that have received particular interest as topical skin delivery systems. There is considerable scope to manipulate the formulation components and characteristics to achieve optimal bioavailability and minimal skin irritancy. This includes the incorporation of established chemical penetration enhancers to fluidize the stratum corneum lipid bilayers, thus reducing the primary skin barrier and increasing permeation. This review discusses nanosystems with utility in skin delivery and focuses on the composition and characterization of ME and NE for topical and transdermal delivery. The mechanism of skin delivery across the stratum corneum and via hair follicles is reviewed with particular focus on the influence of formulation.

Keywords: microemulsion; nanoemulsion; nanosystem; penetration enhancer; skin penetration; transdermal.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Properties of nanosystems determining skin absorption and potential routes of penetration (skin layer thicknesses not drawn to scale). Reproduced with permission from [5].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of nanoemulsion preparation methods adapted from [30,31].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams formed by a mixture of caprylic/capric triglycerides as the oil phase, Tween 80: Brij 52 at 7:3 (a), 8:2 (b) and 9:1 (c) surfactant mix-ratio and water. Gray area represents the microemulsion systems (ME). Liquid crystal (LC), emulsion (EM), emollient gel (EG), emollient cream (EC), phase separation (PS). Reproduced with permission from [43].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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