INSIGHTS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS OF TRANSFERSOME FOR ANTI-AGEING COSMETICS

Abstract

Skin ageing is a phenomenon resulting in reduced self-confidence during social interaction, with the result that aesthetic medicines have become a major daily requirement in modern society. The use of cosmetics can help prevent wrinkles and other superficial skin damage. Transfersome as ultradeformable vesicles is well known to contain various highly flexible nano-sized active ingredients capable of deeply penetrating the dermis when in topical preparations. This review provides an insight into transfersome and its prospective use in anti-ageing cosmetics. The research reported here constitutes a scoping review involving the use of literature electronically accessible from a database using the keywords “ultradeformable vesicle”, “topical drug classification system”, and “anti-ageing cosmetic”. The selection of journals was based on the application of inclusion criteria, while the exclusion criteria involved the review of previous journals. A total of 92 research papers on the topic of transfersome fullfilled the inclusion criteria. Transfersome has the ability to deform because of the composition of phospholipids and edge activators and is able to deliver active ingredients with various characteristics. The permeation mechanism of transfersome involves hydrotaxis or xerophobia characterized as its moisture-seeking tendency in the deeper layers of the skin, as opposed to the outer dry surroundings, caused by the evaporation of moisture from the transfersome formulation when applied to the skin. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that transfersome increases drug deposition, penetration, and efficacy. Transfersome has considerable potential to form part of a delivery system for anti-ageing cosmetics.