Release characteristics of vitamin E incorporated chitosan microspheres and in vitro–in vivo evaluation for topical application

Vitamin E (VE) is known to be a natural antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and leading to an antiaging effect. Chitosan (CS), an excellent biopolymer obtainable from renewable resources has become of great interest as a new functional material of high potential in various fields. The use of VE in cosmetic products is limited due to its low stability. In this study, aiming to solve the stability problem, VE was successfully incorporated into CS microspheres. Characterization of the particles and in vitro release studies were performed in detail. In vivo analyses results showed that the VE formulation prepared has enhanced the skin moisture and skin elasticity while decreasing the skin wrinkle volume which means CS microspheres containing VE is a promising candidate as an antiaging product.