January 2025 in “AAPS PharmSciTech” Transethosomes improve drug delivery through the skin and show promise for treating various conditions.
June 2026 in “International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology” This study developed a Hyaluronic acid-Carbopol liposomal gel co-loaded with Adapalene and Clindamycin Phosphate, optimized to improve skin penetration and anti-acne efficacy, showing enhanced drug delivery, superior clinical effectiveness, and excellent skin tolerability compared to commercial formulations.
68 citations
,
February 2011 in “European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics” This study found that keratin films made from human hair can potentially substitute for human nail plates in drug permeability studies, but they show higher sensitivity to penetration enhancers compared to bovine hooves.
6 citations
,
July 2009 in “Biomolecules & therapeutics” This study found that combining MSM with MAP significantly enhanced hair growth in mice, comparable to or better than minoxidil, due to increased intradermal retention of MAP.
1 citations
,
March 2023 in “Phytochemistry Reviews” This review discusses the potential of CBD for treating skin disorders, the challenges of its topical administration, and current strategies to improve its application, but reports no new clinical findings.
54 citations
,
December 2004 in “PubMed” This study suggests that topical Cyclosporin A formulations, with or without a penetration enhancer, effectively stimulated hair regrowth in a rat model of alopecia areata.
2 citations
,
August 2023 in “Pharmaceutics” This paper reviews the development of transdermal drug delivery systems for skin diseases, from first to fourth generation, and highlights ongoing challenges and the importance of clinical trials, but provides no new clinical results.
2 citations
,
January 2016 This study found that nanoemulsions containing oleic acid or eucalyptol significantly enhanced the skin penetration of caffeine and naproxen compared to aqueous solutions, primarily by increasing solute diffusivity in the stratum corneum.
January 2026 in “Journal of Advanced Research” This study found that fermentation products from Bacillus sp. TC5 can effectively promote hair regrowth and improve transdermal drug absorption, suggesting their potential as eco-friendly agents in developing cosmeceuticals for hair restoration and skin repair.
February 2026 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of natural hair growth actives set to enter the 2025–2026 market, noting their potential as alternatives to conventional therapies for alopecia but highlighting formulation challenges that may impact their effectiveness.
February 2026 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” This review critically evaluated natural hair growth actives for the 2025–2026 marketplace and found they show potential as alternatives to conventional therapies for androgenetic alopecia, with favorable safety and patient acceptance, though challenges such as formulation instability and limited follicular penetration remain.
9 citations
,
October 2013 in “Drug Delivery” This research found that ethosomes significantly enhanced finasteride delivery into the dermis of human cadaver skin compared to liposomes in an in vitro study.
7 citations
,
May 2010 in “Drug Delivery” This study found that retinoic acid pre-treatment enhanced the efficiency of gene transfer into mouse skin for potential therapeutic applications.
August 2026 in “JURNAL ILMU KEFARMASIAN INDONESIA” This study found that the addition of SPACE peptide significantly enhanced the penetration of amniotic membrane stem cell metabolites in mice, with only very mild irritation observed.
January 2026 in “AAPS PharmSciTech” In this study, a novel liposomal formulation combining caffeine and cafestol significantly enhanced their penetration into human skin layers, with formulation F9 doubling caffeine and greatly increasing cafestol levels in the dermis, suggesting potential for improved topical delivery.
11 citations
,
April 2011 in “Biomolecules & Therapeutics” This study found that finasteride-containing anionic liposomes enhanced skin retention and had moderate hair growth efficacy, suggesting potential for treating androgenetic alopecia with reduced systemic side effects.
10 citations
,
February 2022 in “Pharmaceuticals” This study found that smaller curcumin nanocrystals (60 nm) enhanced transdermal and transfollicular penetration more effectively than larger sizes, influenced by particle size.
July 2025 in “Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces” This study found that the new delivery system HL@Mi enhanced the skin penetration, local bioavailability, and safety of minoxidil, supporting improved hair growth in an androgenetic alopecia animal model.
316 citations
,
June 2004 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” This study found that using a standardized protocol with microspheres of approximately 1.5 micrometers enhances penetration into hair follicles, particularly when skin is treated with cyanoacrylate skin surface stripping.
3 citations
,
January 2013 in “Journal of cosmetics, dermatological sciences and applications” This study found that the new HCC additive enhances the permeation of pigments and active ingredients into hair, suggesting potential use in developing functional cosmetic hair products.
January 2012 in “Journal of Cosmetics Dermatological Sciences and Applications” This study found that iontophoresis significantly enhances the skin penetration of magnesium salt of L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, especially in hairy mice, compared to passive diffusion.
17 citations
,
September 2022 in “Biomaterials Research” This study found that the film-trigger applicator system enhanced drug delivery efficiency and skin penetration of dissolving microneedles compared to traditional patch systems in both lab and animal models.
34 citations
,
October 2014 in “European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics” This study found that adapalene-loaded solid lipid microparticles may enhance targeted drug delivery into sebum due to their similarity to sebum components, although both this formulation and a standard cream showed equivalent follicular penetration.
54 citations
,
October 2002 in “Journal of controlled release” This study found that increasing a drug's lipophilicity and adding ethanol to the donor phase can enhance its delivery to the hair follicle, although the precise transport mechanism remains unclear.
40 citations
,
January 2018 in “Pharmaceutics” This study found that nanoemulsions incorporating skin penetration enhancers significantly increased the permeation of minoxidil through human skin compared to aqueous control solutions.
15 citations
,
February 2023 in “Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces” In this study using a porcine skin model, the researchers reported that smaller curcumin nanocrystals in xanthan gum gel showed higher passive skin penetration, while larger particles achieved deeper follicular accumulation.
12 citations
,
June 2022 in “FARMACIA” This study found that a topical transethosomal system may enhance the skin penetration and deposition of naftifine compared to a marketed cream, potentially overcoming the stratum corneum barrier.
April 2024 in “International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research” This review discusses the potential benefits of using natural permeation enhancers to improve transdermal drug penetration in formulations like emulgel, a promising topical delivery system for hydrophobic drugs.
This study introduced fibronectin nanogel microneedles (FNG MNs) that demonstrated improved tissue penetration and transdermal delivery, restoring skin homeostasis in a photoaged mouse model and enhancing collagen deposition and angiogenesis in a diabetic wound rat model.
34 citations
,
July 2011 in “International journal of pharmaceutics” This study found that ion-paired solutions significantly improved the skin penetration of risedronate in hairless mice compared to risedronate alone.