EMOLLIENTS WITH NATURAL EMULSIFIER OLIVEM 1000 AS TOPICAL FORMULATIONS FOR UREA OR SODIUM HYALURONATE.

Xerosis is one of the common dermatological problems. Preparations recommended for daily care of dry skin are emollients. Emollient preparations demonstrate a moisturizing effect, they soften and smoothen the skin, keep water in the epidermis, supplement lipids of skin upper layers, and protect from external harmful agents. The purpose of this study was to develop and characterize emollients containing natural emulsifier Olivem 1000 as topical delivery systems for urea or sodium hyaluronate. The physicochemical and mechanical properties of the designed formulations were evaluated. Moreover, an ex vivo adhesion study on hairless murine skin as a model of adhesive layer was conducted and an in vivo preliminary assessment of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was performed. The prepared emollient formulations were characterized by a smooth consistency, were easily spreadable on the skin surface, and showed no phase separation. Formulations containing xanthan gum as a thickening agent were characterized by higher viscosity, hardness, cohesiveness and adhesiveness values. The prepared emollients showed thixotropic properties and were classified as non-Newtonian shear thinning systems. All prepared emollients demonstrated bioadhesive properties. The TEWL analysis showed that the greatest decrease in the TEWL value was noted in the case of an emollient containing sodium hyaluronate, which was applied to a person with skin described as in very poor condition. The results of the conducted research indicate that the developed emollients containing natural emulsifier Olivem 1000 seem to be a promising form of care preparations for topical use in the case of chronic skin dryness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]