Fat capsules in beauty products 'can't be trusted'

Buyers of beauty products should not trust the claims that liposomes - small fat capsules often added to beauty products - can improve skin's appearance, says an expert.

According to the beauty industry liposomes are capable of transporting active ingredients deep into the skin and release the active ingredients so that they can alter the skin's structure by rejuvenating and smoothing the skin.

But a new research from University of Southern Denmark has shown that liposomes are not capable of transporting themselves deep into the skin, and thus they are not capable of transporting active ingredients deep into the skin.

"We have shown that liposomes are destroyed before they enter the skin or very soon after. When a liposome is destroyed, it spills its cargo of active ingredients. Liposomes are therefore not efficient carriers for transdermal delivery", said professor Luis Bagatolli from Membrane Biophysics and Biophotonics Group/MEMPHYS Center for Biomembrane Physics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark.

The researchers used the technique RICS (Raster Imaging Correlation Spectroscopy) to investigate how liposomes labeled with two fluorescent colors move once they are applied to the skin.

"Concerted movement of the two colors should provide evidence that the liposomes are intact when they reach their destination under the skin. We did not observe concerted movement after applying the liposomes to the skin," said Bagatolli.

"The human skin is designed to prevent external components to enter the human body. It is natural, that it also prevents liposomes to enter," he added.

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