Third scientific paper of Saponlabs team

Saponlabs’ research on natural surfactants for cosmetic industry employs various models to mimic a human skin. Recently we have published a scientific paper comparing the action of synthetic and natural surfactants on two model skin layers. The paper entitled “Effect of synthetic surfactants and soapwort (Saponaria officinalis L.) extract on skin-mimetic model lipid monolayers” was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal “Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Biomembranes”.

The paper describes the effect of a saponin-rich extract from Saponaria officinalis and four synthetic surfactants, (including inter alia SLES and SLS) on two model lipid monolayers. The study was performed using so called "Langmuir film" in a specially designed setup allowing for exchanging the subphase (an aqueous phase beneath the monolayer) without disturbing the lipids. Whereas all four synthetic surfactants behaved in a similar way by almost completely removing the lipids, the soapwort extract did not solubilize the lipids and even improved the mechanical properties of the monolayer. The saponin-penetrated monolayers mimicking the human skin showed higher surface elasticity than the native monolayers. This finding might have important implications for understanding the mechanism of saponins interactions with human skin and the behavior of saponins as active components in cosmetics or pharmaceutical products.

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