Effective cosmetics and ways to improve its transdermal properties

The effectiveness of cosmetics largely depends on how deep into the skin their active ingredients are able to penetrate. Today effective cosmetics – these are products whose components are not only delivered to the deep layers of the skin, but are also sent to a specific place where their bioactive properties are applied. About what can be used to increase the transdermal properties of cosmetics, and what components help to target skin problems, considered estet-portal.com.

How to help the active ingredients of cosmetics penetrate the skin

Human skin consists of several barrier levels, the task of which, over a long period of evolution, has been to protect the deep layers from aggressive external influences. However, in order to achieve the effect of rejuvenation, it is necessary to deliver the active components of cosmetics precisely to the inner layers, to the dermis, where regeneration processes take place. To do this, bioactive substances will have to pass the following levels of protection:

• Level 1 – water-lipid mantle of the skin. It is formed from the secretion products of the sebaceous and sweat glands, particles of the stratum corneum. The task of this barrier level – prevent penetration of water-soluble particles.
• 2nd level – epidermis. It has, as a rule, a rather dense structure, and it is impossible for ingredients with a macromolecular structure to penetrate through it – enzymes, proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids.

In order to introduce the active ingredients of a cosmetic product into the dermis, the protection levels can be influenced in different ways:

• destroy the integrity of the lipid layer. For this, surfactants are used (for example, in cleansing lotions), alcohols (in tonics), fruit acids (in face masks). These substances form gaps in the protective lipid layer through which the active components of cosmetics used after cleansing penetrate deep into. However, the presence of such aggressive components in cosmetics with a long duration of action (creams or serums) is undesirable, since they can greatly destroy the epidermal barrier, and it will not be easy to restore it, especially for adult skin;
• soften the lipid layer. The essence of the impact, which is usually carried out with the help of cosmetics containing monounsaturated oleic acid, is to give the lipid layer a more liquid, flowing structure. At the same time, gaps are formed in the layer, through which water-soluble substances necessary for regenerative processes penetrate into the dermis. Such an effect is usually carried out with the use of cosmetic nourishing face masks. The method is non-aggressive, allowing you to quickly restore the integrity of the protective layers, but not very effective.

Since the substances needed to start the regenerative processes – e.g. hyaluronic acid, collagen, elastin – have large molecules and are not able to overcome the epidermal barrier on their own, transdermal carriers are selected for them, as well as for other modulators of the recovery process.

Features of substances – transdermal carriers in effective cosmetics

In order to purposefully influence the regeneration processes occurring in the dermis, substances are included in the cosmetic product that are able to penetrate the epidermal barrier and at the same time act as a kind of vehicle for other bioactive components. Such a transdermal carrier, for example, are liposomes.

Microscopic liposomal vesicles with bioactive substances enclosed inside easily overcome the epidermal barrier, delivering to the deep layers those moderators that are necessary to start regenerative processes in the dermis.

Peptides are also used as transdermal components of cosmetics, which penetrate deep into the skin with the help of fatty acids attached to their chain. Peptides are able to stimulate skin cells to produce their own collagen and elastin, hyaluronic acid, are able to organize the location of collagen fibers in the dermis and thereby affect the smoothness and elasticity of the skin, participate in the functioning of the skin's immune system, preventing the synthesis of enzymes that destroy collagen.

Today, quite a variety of peptides and transdermal agents are known to help create effective cosmetics that can work at different levels of the skin. They allow gentle action on the skin and at the same time achieve long-term rejuvenating results.