w/o/w multiple emulsions with mandelic acid

w/o/w multiple emulsions can be used as delivery systems in cosmetic and dermatological products as they maintain the sustained release of the material entrapped in the inner phase and allow also the introduction of incompatible materials in the same system. In the present paper different w/o/w emulsions with mandelic acid in the inner or in the outer phase were prepared and characterized. The release of mandelic acid from these systems, higher in the outer than in the inner phase, demonstrated the encapsulation of mandelic acid in the inner phase and a mechanism of permeation of the acid through the lipid phase. The sustained release of mandelic acid depended on the percentage of mandelic acid in the inner phase. In the end, a stable w/o/w emulsion was obtained with mandelic acid in the inner phase, Triclosan in the intermediate oil phase and chlorohexidine in the outer aqueous phase.