Biofunctional textiles prepared with liposomes: in vivo and in vitro assessment

A sun filter, ethyl hexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) used as a tracer, was vehiculized by liposomes made up of internal wool lipids (IWL) or phosphatidylcholine (PC) and applied onto cotton and polyamide fabrics by exhaustion treatments. After topical applications of textiles on human volunteers, skin properties were evaluated by non-invasive biophysical techniques. Two methodologies based on percutaneous absorption were used to determine the content of the active principle penetration into the skin. PC liposomes showed more affinity for the fabric than IWL liposomes. Moreover, polyamide fabrics absorbed a slightly higher percentage of liposomes than cotton fabrics. A significantly higher amount of EHMC skin penetration was found when the biofunctional textiles were topically applied than when formulations were applied onto the skin. Moreover, the polyamide was the fibre with the highest released properties in all cases.