Because of the amphipathic nature of micelles, they are excellent in cleansers as any dirt or oils can be trapped and removed from a surface separately, without needing to affect the other as much. That is, dirt—which is hydrophilic—can be removed without needing to disturb the natural oils—which are hydrophobic—from the skin surface.
Micelles are spheres made of fatty acids that create a hydrophobic inner core and a hydrophilic outer shell. They can therefore create a shield in a water solution to pass through without disturbing the hydrophobic portion of the structure. Further advances to micelles have allowed them to be used for drug delivery of more complex products on the skin, which have shown promise as allowing for more skin penetration.
Micelles are likely safe for all skin types and tones based on available data. However, the use of micelles in products may make the skin drier, so patients with dry skin should exercise caution when using micellar products.
There is minimal data on contraindications for use of products containing micelles due to the micelles themselves, as they are usually delivery tools or parts of a water solution for cleansing.
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Ananthapadmanabhan KP, Moore DJ, Subramanyan K, Misra M, Meyer F. Cleansing without compromise: the impact of cleansers on the skin barrier and the technology of mild cleansing. Dermatol Ther. 2004;17 Suppl 1:16-25. doi:10.1111/j.1396-0296.2004.04s1002.x
Niu J, Yuan M, Zhang Z, et al. Hyaluronic Acid Micelles for Promoting the Skin Permeation and Deposition of Curcumin. Int J Nanomedicine. 2022;17:4009-4022. Published 2022 Sep 7. doi:10.2147/IJN.S372711
Parra A, Jarak I, Santos A, Veiga F, Figueiras A. Polymeric Micelles: A Promising Pathway for Dermal Drug Delivery. Materials (Basel). 2021;14(23):7278. Published 2021 Nov 28. doi:10.3390/ma14237278
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