Vehicles Matter! Implications for Topical Cosmeceutical and Pharmaceutical Products

Dear Colleagues,

Topical treatment of the skin is as old as the evolution of mankind. Unconsciously, we try to treat a skin injury or irritation with cooling or soothing substances. Even animals lick their wounds, trusting instinctively in the healing power of saliva. The archaic pattern of treatment has taken a gigantic leap from folk medicine to modern topical treatment and care of the skin. Patients and consumers apply a wide spectrum of preparations to their diseased, irritated, sensible or healthy skin that range in physicochemical and textural properties from liquids to semisolids to powders and even patches. Over the centuries, a myriad of mixtures has been created and evolved as science has advanced and innovative materials useful in topical product formulation have been discovered. Formulators, marketers, clinicians, cosmeticians and consumers attach extraordinary importance, not seldom, magic effects to both the vehicle (format of formulation, e.g., cream, ointment) and the individual ingredients incorporated and forming the topical preparations. There is convincing evidence that the skillful selection of vehicle ingredients may multiply the bioavailability of topically applied agents—a phenomenon that is rarely seen with other application forms. However, not only the technical side is of importance. At the same time, a specific vocabulary has evolved to describe the vehicle formats and the vehicle effects. An analysis of the current vocabulary used by both professionals and laypersons to describe vehicle formats and the vehicle effects reveals a series of differing linguistic and technical interpretations. Varying definitions in compendia documents, use of fanciful names created by marketers and one’s own personal experience with typical topical vehicle formats (ointment is greasy, gel is translucent) has led to a Babylonian confusion of linguistic designations that impedes scientific, as well as patient and consumer related, communication regarding vehicle formats and vehicle effects.

Selected and exemplary papers will inform the readers: (a) about the current and future developments in vehicle design and (b) about the various terminologies that describe format and effects of vehicles.

Prof. Dr. Christian Surber
Guest Editor

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