Nanocosmeceuticals: Trends and Recent Advancements in Self Care

Abstract

The term cosmetics refers to any substances or products intended for external application on the skin with the aim of protection and better appearance of the skin surface. The skin delivery system promotes the controlled and targeted delivery of active ingredients. The development of this system has been driven by challenges encountered with conventional cosmeceuticals, including low skin retention of active components, limited percutaneous penetration, poor water dispersion of insoluble active ingredients, and instability of effective components. The aim is to create cosmeceuticals that can effectively overcome these issues. This review focuses on various nanocarriers used in cosmeceuticals currently and their applications in skin care, hair care, oral care, and more. The importance of nanotechnology in the sphere of research and development is growing. It provides solutions to various problems faced by conventional technologies, methods, and product formulations thus taking hold of the cosmetic industry as well. Nowadays, consumers are investing in cosmetics only for better appearance thus problems like wrinkles, ageing, hair loss, and dandruff requires to be answered proficiently. Nanocarriers not only enhance the efficacy of cosmeceutical products, providing better and longer-lasting effects, but they also contribute to the improved aesthetic appearance of the products. This dual benefit not only enhances the final quality and efficacy of the product but also increases consumer satisfaction. Additionally, nanocarriers offer protection against UV rays, further adding to the overall benefits of the cosmeceutical product. Figure 1 represents various advantages of nanocarriers used in cosmeceuticals. Nanotechnology is also gaining importance due to their high penetration of actives in the deeper layers of skin. It can be said that nanotechnology is taking over all the drawbacks of the traditional products. Thus, nanocarriers discussed in this review are used in nanotechnology to deliver the active ingredient of the cosmeceutical product to the desired site.

Keywords: carbon nanotube; dendrimer; formulation; liposome; nanocapsule; nanocrystal; nanodrug; nanoparticle; nanotechnology; skin.