Skin barrier
*The article was translated into English using automatic translation. The editors are working on its improvement.
The skin is the largest human organ and, like any organ, it has its own functions. One of them is to be a barrier between the body and the environment, performing, in addition to protective, also the functions of exchange, reception, thermoregulation, excretion, and resorption. The skin is also an organ of the immune system and participates in water-salt metabolism. And this barrier, which is the skin, cosmetic products need to “be able” to pass through.
The activity of cosmetic preparations is, first of all, determined by the total dose of active ingredients delivered to the intended targets, and not by the composition of the product. In this regard, there is a need to consider factors affecting the delivery process of active ingredients. They can be divided into two large groups:
- factors determined by the properties of the epidermis - water-lipid mantle, stratum corneum, intercellular spaces;
- and those associated with a cosmetic product - the form of the drug (gel, ointment, emulsion, aerosol), method of application, chemical properties, concentration of active ingredients.