The inflluence of emulsifiers on physical properties and release parameters of creams with caffeine

Caffeine is well known alkaloid chemical compound belonging to the methyl-xanthines group. It is an active substance that is found in many cosmetic products, as it has a stimulating action on both the central nervous system and the metabolism. Commercially available topical formulations normally contain 3% of caffeine and 7% anticellulite products.

The aim of our work was to investigate the properties of four cream preparations. These consisted of 5% of caffeine and one of four different emulsifiers (GSC, Sodium polyacrylate, Emulsifying Base, MDS). In our work, we compared the physical properties (spreadability, slip and tenacity), the rheological structure of the resulting creams and the caffeine release from the obtained preparations. The results showed that the properties of these creams and their drug release depended upon the kind of the emulsifiers utilised. What is more, all preparations have a pseudoplastic character of flow and most of them have significant thixotropy. Furthermore, the amount of released caffeine is the largest from the MDS cream, and this emulsifier seems to be the most optimal in all the examined items.