High quality and stable liposomes Research and Development Department of Company W, a cosmetics manufacturer
Win product competitions with liposomes
New liposome method yields 200 trillion per mL
Company W is working hard every day to develop new products amidst the fierce competition in the cosmetics industry. The R&D department is divided into several teams, who compete to come up with new product plans in an internal competition held every six months. The winning product plan is commercialized. Team B has lost three consecutive competitions, so this time they are determined to win.
Challenges
I want to use liposomes, which have been gaining attention in recent years, but there are many issues with conventional products...
Team B set their sights on developing a new skincare serum that would enhance the penetration of active ingredients into the skin, focusing on liposomes, which have been a hot topic in recent years. Liposomes are particles with a diameter of 20-200 nm that are composed of a lipid bilayer membrane, and when added to a serum, they enhance the penetration of active ingredients into the skin and also provide a highly moisturizing feeling. However, conventional liposomes were known to have a weakness: their structure was unstable.
Team leader K explains the challenges of using liposome formulations in beauty serums as follows:
"To stabilize the liposome formulation, it was necessary to add a thickener. Furthermore, unstable liposomes lose their structure over time, which means that the active ingredients cannot fully penetrate the skin. In addition, as the raw material needs to be stored in a refrigerated warehouse, we were concerned about the increased costs."
Mr. K felt that conventional liposomes could not bring out their true potential, so he made it his first priority to find a liposome that was more stable than conventional products. Mr. K and his team contacted trading companies with which they had previously done business and gathered information.
However, finding a stable liposome proved difficult, and the deadline for submitting proposals for an internal competition was fast approaching.
Key Challenges
Liposomes are a component with great potential as a cosmetic ingredient, but they have a weakness: their structure is unstable.
This presents some challenges, such as the insufficient penetration of active ingredients into the skin, which is a feature of liposomes, and the need for low-temperature storage.
To overcome this challenge, it is necessary to find highly stable liposomes.