ABSTRACT
Human skin is the largest organ in the body and serves the major function of protecting the underlying tissues from external elements. The skin offers a formidable barrier in the form of a multilayered stratum comeum (SC) that is renewed continuously by the underlying epidermis. With increasing use of cosmetics and soaps, the human skin is brought in contact with the variety of excipients used in these topical formulations. Many of these formulations contain surfactants that can have toxic and irritating effects on skin. In addition, these amphipathic molecules can partition into the SC and compromise the epidermal barrier function, alter the water-holding capacity of SC, or swell the SC. Thus great effort is spent in the choice of surfactants so as to minimize their effects on the skin barrier.
