Most personal care formulas comprise a blend of water, emollients and stabilizing agents, but extracts and actives are also added for any number of benefits or claims. Ultimately, the efficacy of these products depends on the efficient transport of their actives to areas where they need to act. For example, emollients need to interact with the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum, but other actives should penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin.

The cosmetic industry has recourse in specialized delivery systems such as liposomes, liquid crystals and other self-organized systems that enhance the uptake of actives. Understanding and visualizing how actives are delivered via these platforms is essential during product development and prior to final product commerci­alization to provide scientific data in support of a product’s efficacy.

However, assessing the efficacy of these systems is often performed indirectly—i.e., visually observing whether the formulation fulfills its promises. Physical measurements of the skin’s properties also may be used to determine relative variations in wrinkle depth, skin softness or elasticity.

In contrast, direct measurements of an active’s delivery would provide significant advantages for the development and assessment of personal care products. As such, vibrational imaging spectroscopy analytical techniques can be used to rapidly and directly measure key performance attributes associated with cosmetic formulations.

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