Density fluctuations as door-opener for diffusion on crowded surfaces.

How particles can move on a catalyst surface that, under the conditions of an industrial process, is highly covered by adsorbates and where most adsorption sites are occupied has remained an open question. We have studied the diffusion of O atoms on a fully CO-covered Ru(0001) surface by means of high-speed/variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy combined with density functional theory calculations. Atomically resolved trajectories show a surprisingly fast diffusion of the O atoms, almost as fast as on the clean surface.

Predicting skin penetration of actives from complex cosmetic formulations: an evaluation of inter formulation and inter active effects during formulation optimization for transdermal delivery.

Twenty products, containing a radiolabelled form of each active in typical cosmetic formulations, were made and applied to female human epidermal membranes mounted in Franz diffusion cells for 48 h under 'in use' conditions. The products consisted of combinations of five formulations (a hydro-alcoholic gel, an oil in water emulsion, a water in oil emulsion, a microemulsion and an oil) with four model drug actives (testosterone, hydrocortisone, 5-fluorouracil and ketoconazole). Steady-state flux appeared to be reached by 8 h and maintained for all products, other than for the microemulsions, consistent with the actives being present in the residual formulation on the skin at saturation.

Engineered inorganic nanoparticles and cosmetics: facts, issues, knowledge gaps and challenges.

The cosmetic industry is among the first adaptors of nanotechnology through the use of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to enhance the performance of their products and meet the customers' needs. Recently, there have been increasing concerns from different societal stakeholders (e.g.

Effect of emulsifiers and their liquid crystalline structures in emulsions on dermal and transdermal delivery of hydroquinone, salicylic acid and octadecenedioic acid.

This study investigated the effect of emulsifiers and their liquid crystalline structures on the dermal and transdermal delivery of hydroquinone (HQ), salicylic acid (SA) and octadecenedioic acid (DIOIC). Emulsions containing liquid crystalline phases were compared with an emulsion without liquid crystals. Skin permeation experiments were performed using Franz-type diffusion cells and human abdominal skin dermatomed to a thickness of 400 mum.

Hydrophilic and lipophilic moisturizers have similar penetration profiles but different effects on SC water distribution in vivo.

Dry skin is often treated with hydrophilic and/or lipophilic moisturizers. Hydrophilic moisturizers must penetrate the stratum corneum (SC) deeply to function properly, whereas lipophilic moisturizers should remain in the upper SC layers. In this study, both types of moisturizers were applied on volunteers for 3 h, after which the relative amount of moisturizer and the water distribution in the SC were determined using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with tape-stripping.