Encapsulation fundamentals

What this module covers

Encapsulation puts an active inside a shell so that it stays intact in the formula until conditions release it. This module explains how Vegalab's NanoVeil platform does that, how it differs from other carrier systems, and what a professional can say about it to a client. 45 minutes. Delivered by Vegalab's professional education team.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module you can:

1. Define encapsulation and explain why an unstable active is encapsulated.
2. Describe how a multi-layer biopolymer shell holds an active until defined conditions release it.
3. Distinguish layer-by-layer shells from liposomes and single-layer polymer particles.
4. State the claims Vegalab's encapsulation supports.
5. Answer a client's question about nano in two sentences, using approved wording.

Outline

Part 1. Why encapsulate (10 minutes)

Many actives that matter in skincare are unstable in an open formula. They oxidize, react with other ingredients, or break down with light and time. A formula that starts at full strength in the factory can reach the client weaker than it left.

Encapsulation works on the formula. The active sits inside a shell, separated from the water phase and from the other ingredients, until a defined condition releases it. Actives that oxidize or degrade quickly in an open formula stay intact for longer inside the shell. The detail is on stability and protection.

Part 2. How NanoVeil builds the shell (15 minutes)

NanoVeil is Vegalab's multi-layer nano-encapsulation platform. NanoVeil builds a multi-layer biopolymer shell around an active, up to 20 programmable layers, so the active is held stable until defined conditions release it.

The method is layer-by-layer assembly. Polymers carrying opposite charges are deposited in alternating layers around a core, each layer held to the last by electrostatic attraction. The number of layers and the polymer chosen for each set how the shell behaves and what releases it. The general method was described by Decher in 1997; the reference below describes the technology in general.

Capsule size is measured. The measured size for the NanoVeil carrier is less than 200 nm. What a size figure means, and how it is measured, is covered on particle size. How release is set is on controlled release, and the full mechanism is on how encapsulation works.

Part 3. Carrier systems compared (10 minutes)

Each has a place. The comparison in full is on carrier systems compared.

Part 4. The approved wording (5 minutes)

The approved sentence on where the system acts is this one:

The NanoVeil encapsulation system is designed to carry actives into the upper layers of the skin on its own, without mechanical assistance.

Use it as written. Do not extend it. Encapsulation claims describe the formula and its design intent. Approved and prohibited wording is set out in the claims module.

The nano question. Clients ask whether nano ingredients are safe. The answer in the treatment room is short: the capsules are made from biopolymers, the size is measured, and the full ingredient declaration is published on the product page. For the regulatory definitions, see nano definitions and regulation and the consumer guide are nano ingredients safe.

In the treatment room

Three moments where this module is used:

• Consultation. A client asks why the serum comes in a vial. Encapsulation protects the active in the formula; the sealed vial protects the formula from air. Two separate jobs. See vial handling and dispensing.
• Protocol. Apply the serum onto damp skin and press it in with flat palms. The steps are those set in each protocol, for example dry-skin hydration.
• Device questions. A client asks whether the serum needs a device. The approved sentence above is the whole answer.

Assessment

Eight questions, multiple choice, pass mark 6 of 8. Sample questions:

1. What does encapsulation protect: the skin, or the active in the formula?
2. What holds one NanoVeil layer to the next?
3. Which carrier is a phospholipid bilayer around a water core?
4. Write the approved sentence on where NanoVeil acts, word for word.

References

The studies below describe the technology in general.

1. Decher G. Fuzzy nanoassemblies: toward layered polymeric multicomposites. Science. 1997;277(5330):1232-1237.
2. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on cosmetic products, Article 2(1)(k), definition of nanomaterial.

Ingredient declarations for each formula are listed in the documentation center. Training comes with a professional account. Back to the training academy or to Beauty Science Professional.