Liquid Crystal Formation from Sunflower Oil: Long Term Stability Studies

Area of Science:

• Cosmetic Science
• Materials Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Brazilian biodiversity offers cosmetic raw materials.
• Vegetable oils and fatty esters enhance skin hydration.
• Sunflower oil is rich in polyphenols and vitamin E, ideal for cosmetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop topical emulsions from natural sunflower oil.
• Investigate the impact of formulation on emulsion stability and properties.
• Characterize the resulting emulsions for cosmetic applications.

Main Methods:

• Formulated O/W emulsions using sunflower oil and a self-emulsifying base (SEB).
• Incorporated fatty esters like cetyl palmitate and cetyl ester.
• Performed stability tests and analyzed emulsion properties (pH, rheology, phase behavior).

Main Results:

• Emulsification at high temperatures preserved sunflower oil's antioxidant properties.
• Fatty esters promoted anisotropic structure formation.
• O/W emulsions exhibited acidic pH and pseudoplastic behavior.
• A lamellar phase formed in emulsions after 90 days under various storage conditions.

Conclusions:

• Natural sunflower oil can be effectively formulated into stable O/W emulsions for topical use.
• Fatty esters and SEB contribute to emulsion stability and structure.
• The developed emulsions show potential for cosmetic applications due to their properties and stability.