Abstract
Ferulic acid is a potent anti-oxidant with scientifically proven skin care efficacies. However, instability of this active in the skin care products restricted its wide application in beauty and skin care industries. This study aimed to stabilize ferulic acid in topical hydrogel formulation via nanoencapsulation technique. Ferulic acid loaded nanocapsules were prepared via high pressure homogenization method and physicochemically characterized. Mean particle size of ferulic acid loaded nanocapsules was < 300 nm. TEM and SEM images exhibited spherical particles with smooth surface. DSC and XRD results indicated that ferulic acid was completely dissolved in the lipid matrix of the nanocapsules and remained in amorphous form. Two types of hydrogel formulations containing ferulic acid loaded nanocapsules were prepared: Gel A with pH higher and Gel B with pH lower than pKa of ferulic acid. Cross-polarized microscopic image of the gel formulations did not show presence of any un-encapsulated and un-dissolved crystal. Gel B showed slower and controlled release of ferulic acid than Gel A. Ferulic acid permeation through skin mimic from the gel formulation demonstrated controlled permeation. Color stability of the gel and chemical stability of ferulic acid were very good in Gel B, while poor in Gel A (although significantly better than the gel with un-encapsulated ferulic acid). The result clearly indicates that together with nanoencapsulation, low pH (less than pKa of ferulic acid) of the hydrogel was crucial for both product appearance and chemical stability of ferulic acid. In fact, it has been proved that skin care product with low pH is good for skin as it can maintain skin homeostasis and microbiome. Furthermore, the permeation result suggests that ferulic acid may penetrate into deep skin layers and at the same time avoid systemic circulation. Overall, this low pH hydrogel formulation containing nanoencapsulated ferulic acid demonstrates great promise for commercialization.
Highlights
Antioxidants are among the most abundant actives in skin care products, such as anti-aging, anti-pollution products
Nanoencapsulated ferulic acid was physicochemically characterized via particle size and polydispersity index (PdI) analysis, cross-polarized light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
This study proved that nanoencapsulation of ferulic acid significantly improved the stability of ferulic acid in the formulation
Summary
Antioxidants are among the most abundant actives in skin care products, such as anti-aging, anti-pollution products. The degradation usually accelerates at high temperature (e.g., 40 °C) and under light (e.g., UV and fluorescent)[5,7,8] This instability of the antioxidant actives reduces product’s efficacy and most of the time leads to product color change during storage[9,10]. Skinceuticals products contain multiple antioxidant actives (e.g., ascorbic acid, vitamin E, phloretin) in addition to ferulic acid, which may help to improve stability of the actives. These products carry a special note indicating that the product may darken over time and may cause slight tingling sensation. The study did not target to stabilize ferulic acid in the gel formulation and find its usefulness for skin-care/cosmetics application. Physicochemical stability of the formulations was investigated at different storage conditions
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