What are liposomes in skincare?
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Liposomes are microscopic spheres whose wall is one or more phospholipid bilayers, the same kind of double layer that forms cell membranes, around a watery core. In skincare they carry water-soluble ingredients in the core and fat-soluble ones in the wall, to shield fragile actives in the formula and to help them interact with the skin's outer layer. A liposomal cream is a product that uses them.
What is a liposome made of?
A liposome is a vesicle made of one bilayer (unilamellar) or a series of concentric bilayers (multilamellar) of amphipathic molecules such as phospholipids, enclosing a central watery compartment1. Water-soluble substances are typically held in the watery compartment and hydrophobic ones in the lipid bilayer1. The main building blocks are phospholipids and cholesterol, and adding cholesterol or polyethylene glycol can change how quickly a liposome releases what it carries1,2.
Liposomes were discovered in the 1960s by Alec D. Bangham at the Babraham Institute, University of Cambridge, and the name comes from the Greek lipos, fat, and soma, body2. Reported sizes range from about 50 to 400 nanometers, and liposomes of 150 to 200 nanometers have been shown to be more stable than those under 70 nanometers2.
A liposome formulation is not the same as an emulsion. FDA distinguishes it from an emulsion, which is a dispersion of oil and water phases held by surfactants, and from a microemulsion1.
| Type | How it is built | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multilamellar vesicle (MLV) | Several concentric bilayers, an onion structure3 | The original form, made by hydrating a dried lipid film (the Bangham method)2 |
| Small or large unilamellar vesicle (SUV, LUV) | A single phospholipid bilayer enclosing the watery core3 | Size and number of bilayers both affect how much active is encapsulated3 |
| Transfersome | Ultra-flexible liposome with high elasticity2 | Designed to pass through intercellular routes in the stratum corneum2 |
| Ethosome | Vesicle made with high concentrations of ethanol and phospholipids2 | Designed to improve drug delivery through the skin2 |
Why are liposomes used in skincare?
The first reason is protection in the bottle. Liposome encapsulation is used across the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries to entrap unstable compounds such as antioxidants and to shield their function3. Vitamin C is a typical example: most topical vitamin C preparations are very unstable on exposure to light and air, oxidize rapidly and are then useless, and many do not penetrate the stratum corneum5.
The second reason is behavior on skin. Liposomes show a strong affinity for keratin in the stratum corneum, and their flexible form allows them to merge with stratum corneum lipids2. Reviews describe them as biocompatible and biodegradable, with minimal immunogenicity, and report that their use in cosmetics is steadily increasing2.
The third reason is versatility. Because the core is watery and the wall is lipid, one carrier type can hold both water-soluble and fat-soluble ingredients1,2. For retinoids, liposomes are the most studied nanomaterial6.
Do liposomes actually get into the skin?
How far they go depends on the type of vesicle and the state of the skin barrier2. Liposomes can merge with stratum corneum lipids, while ultra-deformable vesicles such as transfersomes and ethosomes were developed to pass through intercellular routes, driven by osmotic gradients or by ethanol making skin lipids more fluid2. FDA describes some liposomes as soluble or biodegradable nanoparticles that disintegrate into their molecular components on application to skin4.
Laboratory data show what a carrier can add. In an ex vivo study on abdominal skin from ten patients, phosphatidylcholine liposomes improved the penetration of fluorescein and sodium ascorbate, and ascorbate liposomes showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in skin irradiated with UVA and UVB5. In a separate formulation study, retinyl palmitate transfersomes increased skin penetration in vitro compared with free retinyl palmitate, with a predicted shelf life of 36 months6.
Barrier condition matters. A 2025 review notes that liposomal delivery relies on an intact skin barrier, and that on compromised skin liposomes may not adhere as well and release may not occur as expected2.
What can go wrong with a liposomal product?
Liposomes are not automatically stable. FDA guidance notes that some liposomes are prone to fusion into larger vesicles, aggregation and leakage of their contents during storage, that unsaturated lipids are subject to oxidation, and that both saturated and unsaturated lipids can hydrolyze1. Size distribution and liposome integrity are therefore checked in stability testing of liposome drug products1.
Reviews list the same weak points from the formulator's side: phospholipid oxidation and hydrolysis, leakage and fusion of the encapsulated molecules, and high production cost3. A well-made liposomal product is one in which the vesicles survive manufacture and shelf life intact; the word liposomal on a label does not show that on its own.
- Fusion and aggregation: small vesicles merge or clump, changing size1.
- Leakage: the active escapes the vesicle before use1,3.
- Lipid oxidation and hydrolysis: the wall itself degrades1,3.
Is liposomal skincare better than regular skincare?
It depends on the active and the evidence for that product. A 2022 review of retinoid nanoformulations found that many were evaluated only in vitro or ex vivo and that further in vivo testing and clinical trials are needed to support the preclinical results6. The same review notes that the use and role of nanomaterials in marketed cosmetics generally remain undisclosed6.
Regulation explains part of the gap. In the United States, cosmetics and their ingredients, other than color additives, do not need FDA premarket approval4. FDA counts a material as nanotechnology when it is engineered to have a dimension of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, or to show size-dependent properties at up to 1,000 nanometers4, and it names some liposomes among the nanomaterials used in cosmetic products4.
Liposomes are one carrier family among several. Vegalab uses liposomes for ceramides in the Hydrating NanoSerum, and its NanoVeil platform is a different architecture, a multi-layer biopolymer shell; Carrier systems compared sets out how the families differ.
How well does skin tolerate liposomes?
The materials are familiar to skin. FDA groups some liposomes with nanoemulsions as soluble or biodegradable nanoparticles that break down into their molecular components on skin and thus may not raise safety questions, in contrast to insoluble, biopersistent particles4. Lipid-based nanoparticles are made from excipients that are biodegradable and approved for topical application, although debate continues about nanomaterials in cosmetics in general6.
On reactive skin, a patch test before full use shows how your skin responds to any new liposomal product.
Key takeaways
- A liposome is a phospholipid bilayer vesicle with a watery core, able to carry water-soluble and fat-soluble ingredients.
- In skincare, liposomes are used to protect fragile actives such as vitamin C and retinoids and to interact with the stratum corneum.
- Flexible vesicles such as transfersomes and ethosomes are designed to move further into skin than conventional liposomes.
- Liposomes can fuse, leak or oxidize in storage, so formulation quality decides whether the carrier does its job.
- Clinical evidence for liposomal cosmetics is thinner than the laboratory evidence.
References
- Liposome Drug Products: Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls; Human Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability; and Labeling Documentation. Guidance for Industry
- Strategic advances in liposomes technology: translational paradigm in transdermal delivery for skin dermatosis
- Liposome: classification, preparation, and applications
- Guidance for Industry: Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products
- Phosphatidylcholine liposomes as carriers to improve topical ascorbic acid treatment of skin disorders
- Use of Retinoids in Topical Antiaging Treatments: A Focused Review of Clinical Evidence for Conventional and Nanoformulations
Frequently asked questions
What is liposomal cream?
Are liposomes nanoparticles?
Often, yes. Liposomes are reported at about 50 to 400 nanometers2, and FDA treats materials engineered at roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, or with size-dependent properties up to 1,000 nanometers, as involving nanotechnology4. FDA lists some liposomes among nanoparticles that disintegrate on application to skin4.
Is liposomal vitamin C better than regular vitamin C serum?
Liposomes address vitamin C's two known weaknesses, instability in light and air and poor penetration of the stratum corneum5. An ex vivo study found phosphatidylcholine liposomes improved ascorbate penetration in human skin5; that study had industry-affiliated authors, and finished-product clinical data are what show whether a given serum performs.
What is the difference between liposomes and niosomes?
Both are vesicles. Liposomes are built from phospholipids and cholesterol2, and niosomes are listed with transfersomes, ethosomes and invasomes among the modified vesicles developed to enhance delivery across skin2. Carrier systems compared sets out how niosomes are built and how they differ in materials.