ABSTRACT
The 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 corneum that is
renewed continuously by the underlying epidermis. With increasing use of
cosmetics and cleansing products, the human skin is brought into contact with
the variety of excipients used in these topical formulations. Many of these
contain surfactants which can have toxic and irritating effects on skin. In
addition, these amphiphillic molecules can partition into the stratum corneum
and compromise the epidermal barrier function.
