ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the development and application of smart delivery systems for cosmetic active ingredients from both patent and academic literature. Personal care and cosmetic markets cover a diverse range of products that consumers rely on every day for personal hygiene, beautification, and protection. Encapsulation processes, both chemical and physical/mechanical, have been adapted for the encapsulation of cosmetic active ingredients. Sunscreens are important skin care products that are designed to block ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes photoaging and potentially, skin cancer. Similar UV absorber microcapsules were described by the team from Seiwa Kasei Co., except that the wall membrane was formed by the polycondensation of an organic silane molecule with an amphiphilic molecule from the continuous and/or dispersion phase. Mini-emulsion encapsulation can be achieved by choosing monomers that are miscible with the active materials, while the resulting polymers are not miscible with the actives.
