Controlling the delivery of actives by tuning the microstructure of personal care products

Deodorants are widely used products that are applied to the skin, typically the underarm, in order to prevent body odour and perspiration. The global deodorant market has been estimated to have a value of more than $75 billion dollars a year.

Deodorants typically contain anti-microbials and aluminium salts as active agents. These actives are delivered in a range of formulations including solid sticks, gels, roll-ons and aerosols. A key challenge for further improving the performance of deodorants is to understand how the properties of the different formulations influence the release and penetration of active ingredients onto and through the skin. This project will focus on developing characterisation methods to study the microstructure of deodorant formulations and then linking this structure to the performance and other consumer-perceivable benefits of the product. This will involve a range of areas including colloid characterisation, rheology, formulation science and active release studies.