Development of microemulsion alginate-based hydrogel formulation containing rose hip by using microfluidics technique

Nowadays cosmetic products that contain natural ingredients, compatible with the skin, non-toxic, not synthetically derived are in great demand. In addition, it is preferred the products that guarantee contribute to biodiversity preservation and more sustainable sourcing. This study was therefore designed to develop a microemulsion formulation containing natural rose hip, virgin coconut oil, and shea butter and incorporate them into the alginate-based hydrogel produced by a T-junction microfluidic technique. Thereby, it was designed to penetrate gradually an efficient amount of vitamin C, fatty acids, and phospholipids that were included in the beneficial natural ingredients to the skin via hydrogel without degradation. In the formula, rose hip, known for its high vitamin C content and natural oils which are rich content, compatible with the skin due to their structure and edible were preferred. A study was conducted with the rose hip used in the formula and the vitamin C content was investigated by using the thin layer chromatography (TLC) to decide the most efficient rosehip extract. The formula containing rose hip, virgin coconut oil, shea butter, and lecithin was developed by using the probe-sonicator and the formula obtained in nano-sized particles was characterized by utilizing the dynamic light scattering (DLS). The hydrogel structure prepared by the rosehip formula incorporated with monodispersed alginate microbubbles produced by utilizing the T-junction microfluidic technique was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In addition, application studies with a volunteer were conducted to examine the efficiency of the prepared hydrogel on the moisture and oil content of the skin. It was concluded that there was a significant difference in the study conducted with the volunteer (p<0.05). The obtained result showed that the hydrogel generated with the microfluidic system is a promising carrier for natural ingredients to be penetrated into the skin. Key Words: Rose hip, vitamin C, alginate-based hydrogel, virgin coconut oil, shea butter, microfluidic method, microbubble