The U.S. market for drug delivery technologies is expected to increase from $19 billion in 2000 to more than $41 billion by 2007.1 Technological advances utilizing drug discovery approaches such as high-throughput screening, animal model systems, nanotechnology and biochemical assays have helped create a new generation of scientifically advanced skin care and cosmetic products. Although these new products do not make drug claims, they rely on many of the same techniques to deliver ingredients.
At the same time, advances in delivery technology have created new opportunities in the formulation of cosmeceuticals. They can now be administered through many routes by a variety of delivery systems.
Delivery systems not only play an increasingly important role in the development of effective skin care products but the technology continues to become more sophisticated and complex. It is important to obtain a better understanding of the influence of the biological environment on the release performance of various delivery systems.