Occurrence of alkyl glucosides in rinse-off cosmetics marketed as hypoallergenic or for sensitive skin.

Rinse-off cosmetic products, primarily shampoos, are frequently implicated in the onset of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by alkyl glucosides (AGs). AGs are increasingly popular surfactants and known contact allergens. Glucoside-induced ACD was most frequently observed with shampoos and skin-cleansing products in both consumer and occupational settings. Thereby, studies have shown that atopic individuals are the most susceptible to ACD. Also, several investigations have indicated that individuals with sensitive skin might be more prone to skin allergies. This is why the presence of AGs was investigated in shampoos and body cleansers marketed as hypoallergenic or for sensitive skin. For this purpose, the website of Amazon.com was surveyed. Four groups of cosmetics were obtained by using the following keywords: "hypoallergenic shampoo for adults," "sensitive skin shampoo for adults," "hypoallergenic body cleanser for adults," and "sensitive skin body cleanser for adults." The first 30 best-selling cosmetics in each group were investigated for the presence of AGs, by analyzing the product information pages. The results showed that as much as 56.7% of hypoallergenic shampoos contained AGs, as ingredients, whereas the percentage was somewhat lower for other product categories. Even though decyl and lauryl glucoside were nearly ubiquitously used AGs in cosmetics over the past decade, the most commonly present AG in our analysis was coco-glucoside. The results of this study indicated a necessity to include coco-glucoside in the baseline series of patch testing allergens. Industry, regulators, and healthcare providers should be made aware of the frequent presence of AGs in rinse-off cosmetic products marketed as hypoallergenic or for sensitive skin to ensure the safety and well-being of consumers and patients.

Physicochemical properties and stability of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by soy protein isolate and xanthan gum.

The aim of this work was to determine rheological and disperse characteristics and stability of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by soy protein isolate (SPI) and xanthan gum (XG), as natural components. The effects of their combination on emulsion stabilization have not been investigated yet. The existence of interactions between the two macromolecules were indicated by the influence of XG on SPI surface hydrophobicity and surface tension values. Increase in SPI concentration from 1 to 3 % shift of distribution curves towards smaller particle size, while the opposite effects of further increase of SPI was obtained. The emulsions stabilized by SPI showed shear-thinning flow behavior, which changed to thixotropic at 5 % of SPI concentration. The presence of XG in emulsions at low concentrations did not affect the size distribution of the droplets, while at 0.1 % of XG Sauter mean diameter value raised and distribution curves were shifted towards a higher particle size. The presence of XG at higher concentration resulted in thixotropic flow behavior of emulsions. Also, increase in XG concentration led to the increase in consistency index and extent of non-Newtonian behavior of emulsions and enhanced the influence of the elastic modulus and creaming stability of the systems.

Emulgels: Promising Carrier Systems for Food Ingredients and Drugs.

Novel delivery systems for cosmetics, drugs, and food ingredients are of great scientific and industrial interest due to their ability to incorporate and protect active substances, thus improving their selectivity, bioavailability, and efficacy. Emulgels are emerging carrier systems that represent a mixture of emulsion and gel, which are particularly significant for the delivery of hydrophobic substances. However, the proper selection of main constituents determines the stability and efficacy of emulgels. Emulgels are dual-controlled release systems, where the oil phase is utilized as a carrier for hydrophobic substances and it determines the occlusive and sensory properties of the product. The emulsifiers are used to promote emulsification during production and to ensure emulsion stability. The choice of emulsifying agents is based on their capacity to emulsify, their toxicity, and their route of administration. Generally, gelling agents are used to increase the consistency of formulation and improve sensory properties by making these systems thixotropic. The gelling agents also impact the release of active substances from the formulation and stability of the system. Therefore, the aim of this review is to gain new insights into emulgel formulations, including the components selection, methods of preparation, and characterization, which are based on recent advances in research studies.