Systematic Investigation of the Effect of Non-Ionic Emulsifiers on Skin by Confocal Raman Spectroscopy-A Comprehensive Lipid Analysis.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Ex vivo animal tissue study (excised porcine skin) evaluating biochemical mechanisms without human clinical data.
PubMed 32131544 · doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics12030223
What was done
Researchers applied solutions and dispersions of two classes of non-ionic emulsifiers (polyethylene glycol [PEG] alkyl ethers and sorbitan fatty acid esters) to excised porcine skin. Water and sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) solution served as controls. Intercellular stratum corneum lipid content, conformation, and lateral packing order were analyzed using confocal Raman spectroscopy.
What was found
The abstract provides qualitative directions without numerical values or statistical metrics. PEG sorbitan esters produced no detectable alteration in intercellular lipid properties. In contrast, PEG-20 ethers exerted the most pronounced effects, reducing lipid content and disrupting lipid structural organization.
Why it matters
Understanding how specific non-ionic emulsifiers interact with stratum corneum lipids helps inform formulation design for topical pharmaceuticals and cosmetics aimed at modulating skin barrier permeability.
Limits
The study was conducted ex vivo on porcine skin rather than in vivo in humans. The abstract omits sample sizes, specific concentrations tested, quantitative effect sizes, and statistical variance.
Cited by
- supports PEGylated chemicals are added to cosmetics and lotions to penetrate and break through the protective epidermal skin barrier.