Surface Chemistry and Formulation Science in Current Cosmetics
A special issue of Cosmetics (ISSN 2079-9284). This special issue belongs to the section "Cosmetic Formulations".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 300
Editors
2. Cosmetic Science, Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Interests: mild surfactants; non-PKO-based actives; Krafft point reduction; surfactant phase behavior; effect of minor additives on product viscosity
Interests: colloids; surfactant phase behaviour; complex fluids; emulsions; microemulsions; liquid crystals; formulation and processing soft solids; liquids and pastes
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In 2026, cosmetic science is rapidly evolving, and traditional formulation principles are being challenged on multiple fronts:
- Microplastics Challenges: Polymers used for texture/rheology and deposition/film formation are increasingly being classified as microplastics, accelerating industry-wide reduction and phase-out efforts.
- Sustainable Ingredients: Substitutes must be eco-friendlier, with lower impact, aquatic toxicity, bioaccumulation potential, and improved biodegradability.
- Reformulation Paradox: Ingredient substitutes must match or exceed legacy performance—especially texture/rheology, phase behaviour, foam, and therapeutic/sensory benefit delivery.
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to compile high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews addressing the following topics:
- Mechanistic understanding of traditional ingredients and formulations to inform effective replacements (e.g., liquids, pastes, soft solids, sticks).
- Formulation microstructure and ingredient interactions (e.g., fragrance, preservative, particulates, oil, polymer, surfactants) under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions, i.e., in-use/process conditions (e.g., dilution, drying, temperature).
- Microplastic replacements for rheology control, deposition, and film formation (surfactant/adjuvant systems).
- Biobased surfactants and blends delivering mildness without sacrificing foam or in-use performance.
- Approaches to address weaknesses in foam and therapeutic/sensory benefit delivery with substitute ingredients.
- Active-delivery approaches for skin and hair actives in leave-on and rinse-off formats.
- Low-dosage formulation strategies (“do more with less”) without loss of efficacy.
- Methods to characterize non-equilibrium behaviour, stability/shelf-life, and sensory and deposition performance during processing and use.
- Emulsification approaches for highly stable benefit- and fragrance-containing emulsions.
This Special Issue aims to serve as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals working in the benefits and formulation areas of cosmetic science. We anticipate that this Special Issue will foster the dissemination of cutting-edge knowledge and technological advancements. We warmly welcome contributions from authors conducting innovative research in the aforementioned areas, and look forward to showcasing your work.
Dr. Joseph Oreste Carnali
Dr. Teanoosh Moaddel
Dr. Elsayed Abdelfatah
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cosmetics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- skin/scalp cleansing
- skin/scalp mildness
- microplastics reduction
- shampoo/body wash thickening
- foamability enhancement
- deposition enhancement
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