Microencapsulation for cosmeceutical products_
                     
Microencapsulation for 
cosmeceutical products
New Technologies Report -
Date:9th June , 2023 
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 INTRODUCTION 
• The pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, textile, personal care, agricultural, chemical, biotechnology, 
biomedical, and sensor sectors have researched microencapsulation extensively. Growing research in 
this field can be attributed to the fact that microencapsulation can be used to formulate value-added 
products.
• The global cosmetics and personal care products business is valued at several billion dollars and has 
grown significantly. With more and more uses in this industry, microencapsulation has been employed to 
create more reliable, efficient cosmetic formulations with superior sensory qualities.  
• Sunscreens, perfumes, moisturising, tanning, whitening and anti-ageing agents are a few examples that 
have been studied for microencapsulation. Other areas studied for microencapsulation include 
formulation and stabilisation of topical medicines, recent and upcoming advancements, challenges, and 
future developments [1]. 
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Cosmetic active ingredients 
encapsulated for topical application
• Microencapsulation has been extensively studied in skincare and beauty products for their 
application. Vitamin A (VA), or retinol, is an antioxidant in skincare products.
• Examples include Vitamin A serum (retinol face serum), retinol face wash, retinol hand cream, retinol 
peel and retinol cream for pigmentation. 
• It restores skin suppleness and reduces flaking, thereby reducing skin dryness and improving skin 
health.
• Jenning and others evaluated the potential applications of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) in cosmetics 
and dermatology by encapsulating VA in glyceryl behenate SLN via melt solidification [2].  
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Figure 1: Schematic diagram of microencapsulation technique [
1]
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Microencapsulation in cosmetics 
• The cosmetics and personal care industries rely heavily on delivery systems and microcapsules. They 
provide an ideal and one-of-a-kind carrier system for active ingredients, making it possible to release, 
isolate, and protect active ingredients, making the formulations more viable, masking undesirable 
aspects like the smell and enhancing the properties and appearance of the product.  
• Microencapsulation can be used to formulate shower and shower gels, moisturisers and creams, hair 
care products, sunscreens and tanning creams, cosmetics, fragrances, cleansers and exfoliants [3].
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Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the encapsulation process [
3]
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Encapsulating materials for cosmetic applications
• The core material encapsulated is the active ingredient to be used, and the material depends on the final 
cosmetic product where the capsules will be incorporated and the desired function.  
• Other factors considered for choosing an encapsulation material are chemical and physical stability,  
mechanism of release of the active ingredient, concentration and particle size. 
• Toxicity, biocompatibility, stability, viscosity, and mechanical properties, compatibility between the active 
ingredient and the wall material, the release of the active ingredient into the skin from the vehicle, 
enhancement of active penetration into the stratum corneum, intended particle size and microscopic 
properties of the surface of the microparticles, as well as the processing and economic factors, should all be 
taken into consideration when selecting a wall material for use in topical applications.  
• The right decision of the shell material is fundamental as it impacts the efficacy and protection of the 
microcapsules.  
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Encapsulating materials for cosmetic applications
• Commonly used core materials in cosmetic products for topical application have been reviewed. 
Encapsulating materials can be chosen from biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymers. Extensive 
research has been conducted on protecting active agents in micro-sized carriers for controlled release over 
time.  
• Natural and biodegradable biopolymers like chitosan are preferred as encapsulating materials. When in 
contact with human tissues, these natural materials are non-toxic, non-reactive, and can be broken down, 
metabolised, and eliminated. Other polymers studied include aliphatic polyesters like poly(lactic acid) (PLA), 
and copolymers of lactic and glycolic acids like PLGA (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) are the encapsulating 
materials that are more popular for use in skin delivery systems.  
• However, the structure of chitosan can be altered to produce water-soluble chitosan, which is easily soluble 
in neutral aqueous solutions and expands the compound’s application range[4].    
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Conclusion:
• Consumers’ demand for improved efficacy and safety of the products has fuelled an interest in more 
complex and sophisticated products. 
• Microencapsulation of active ingredients has become increasingly popular in cosmetics and personal 
care products since the functionality of the active ingredients can be enhanced, and the product has 
added value. In addition, technological advancements have made microencapsulation more 
feasible.
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REFERENCES
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ics.12232 
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268005X1932805X 
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/02652048.2015.1115900 
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ics.12017 
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THANK YOU 
M1.  20%
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