Moisturizing effect of oleogel/hydrogel mixtures

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Materials Science

Background:

• Topical formulations require advanced delivery vehicles.
• Hydrogels and oleogels offer distinct properties for drug delivery.
• Combining these systems can create novel formulation platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize novel bigel formulations by mixing hydrogels and oleogels.
• To evaluate the in vivo moisturizing efficacy of the developed bigels.
• To assess the stability and mechanical properties of the bigel formulations.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of bigels using polyacrylic acid hydrogel and various oleogels.
• In vivo assessment of moisturizing effects using corneometry on 14 healthy volunteers over 5 hours.
• Conducting stability tests at 20°C and 40°C for six months.
• Mechanical characterization of the bigel formulations.

Main Results:

• Bigels exhibited enhanced moisturizing effects compared to individual hydrogels and oleogels.
• Formulations showed good stability at 20°C for six months with no significant changes in texture or appearance.
• Accelerated storage at 40°C led to detectable changes in color and texture.
• Bigels retained the mechanical and sensory properties of the parent hydrogel.

Conclusions:

• Bigels represent a promising new class of vehicles for topical formulations.
• These formulations offer superior moisturizing benefits for skin hydration.
• The developed bigels balance enhanced efficacy with desirable formulation characteristics.