DEVELOPMENT OF MICROEMULSION AND WATER/OIL/WATER MULTIPLE EMULSION CONTAINING BETA-ARBUTIN, LACTIC ACID, AND SODIUM ASCORBYL PHOSPHATE

Objective: In addition to lactic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate, which have whitening effects, beta-arbutin is a safe whitening agent for skin.Combining these three substances should reduce the concentration of each one in a formula and achieve an optimal whitening effect. In this study,microemulsions and water/oil/water (W/O/W) multiple emulsions were applied to produce a formula containing these whitening agents.Methods: All the active ingredients were formulated into microemulsions and W/O/W multiple emulsions with different concentrations of Tween 80and Span 80 as emulsifiers to obtain a stable formula. Twelve-week physical stability studies were performed for every formula at low (4±2°C), room(28±2°C), and high (40±2°C) temperatures.Results: The produced microemulsions were transparent with a mean droplet size of 15.50 nm. In addition, the W/O/W multiple emulsions containeddroplets within droplets, which were dispersed in a continuous phase with an inner droplet size of 0.15 μm and an outer droplet size of 0.37 μm. TheW/O/W multiple emulsions showed pseudoplastic thixotropic flow properties. Furthermore, the microemulsions were stable at low (4±2°C) androom (28±2°C) temperatures, while the W/O/W multiple emulsions were stable at room (28±2°C) and high (40±2°C) temperatures.Conclusion: It was concluded that the combination of beta-arbutin, lactic acid, and sodium ascorbyl phosphate was suitable for formulating intomicroemulsions as well as W/O/W multiple emulsions as whitening cosmetic products.