Abstract:
Acne is a skin disease that affects most adolescents and young adults. There are four
abnormalities in acne namely, sebum production, inflammation, hyperkeratosis and the
presence of Propionobacterium acnes. To treat acne effectively it has been proved that
combinational therapy is essential to be able to eliminate all four abnormalities. Both
salicylic acid and tea tree oil have the properties to eliminate the four abnormalities of
acne. These active ingredients were therefore chosen to be formulated into one
cosmetic acne product.
These two active ingredients were formulated into five different acne products, i.e. a
cream, gel, ointment, soap bar and a cover stick. All of these products contained 2%
salicylic acid and 3% tea tree oil. The formulations had to be of such nature that they
would not irritate the skin or worsen the acne.
After formulation, the products were placed under a three-month accelerated stability
testing procedure. The products were stored at different temperatures and humidities.
Stability indicating tests were carried out on all of the products throughout the three
months.
All five products proved to be stable over the three-month stability testing period. During
release rate studies with the enhancer cell dissolution technique, the gel showed the
highest amount of salicylic acid released in comparison to the other products, whereas
the ointment proved to release the highest amount of tea tree oil. Zone inhibition studies
were not conducted as two previous studies have already proved that a correlation
exists between zone inhibition and the release rate.
This study produced five new cosmetic acne formulations that remained stable
throughout the study and therefore they can be used to treat acne effectively.
