Navare Bilwa et al.; International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology © 2019, www.IJARIIT.com All Rights Reserved Page |1077 ISSN: 2454-132X Impact factor: 4.295 (Volume 5, Issue 3) Available online at: www.ijariit.com A review on Surfactants: Role in skin irritation, SC damage, and effect of mild cleansing over damaged skin Bilwa Navare bilwa.navare@gmail.com Kolhapur Institute of Technology's College of Engineering (Autonomous), Kolhapur, Maharashtra Saee Thakur amarajakulkarni@gmail.com Kolhapur Institute of Technology's College of Engineering (Autonomous), Kolhapur, Maharashtra Siddhi Nakhe siddhinakhe@gmail.com Kolhapur Institute of Technology's College of Engineering (Autonomous), Kolhapur, Maharashtra ABSTRACT Cosmetic industry which has gained much interest when it comes to daily based products involving skin care and many essentials enhancing and beautifying an individual. Focusing on skin care products bar soaps, liquid or gels of body wash, cleansers etc. having much demand in cosmetic sector past decade. Taking into the account preparation of body washes and cleansers using syndets i.e. synthetic surfactants leads to skin related issues like dryness, itching, after wash tightness, stratum corneum layer damage, dermatitis etc. Replacement of synthetic surfactants with mild synthetic and/or natural ones is having much wide scope for industries who develops the natural surfactants and make sure that replacement of same will lead to the better application while reducing the skin related issues. During 1950’s synthetic surfactants/ detergents in the form of bars are introduced. Since then body soaps and cleansers are under research which can be efficacious still less harsh causing minimal damage to the skin barrier. Cleansers including mild synthetic surfactants and/or emollients for moisturization that cause minimal barrier perturbation are ideal for these patients. A brief review of four clinical trials that evaluated the efficacy and compatibilit y of either mild syndet bars or cleansers in patients with atopic dermatitis, acne, and rosacea was taken. Much research and review were done on natural, mild, and biosurfactants. Biosurfactants are considered as safe and produced using nonpathogenic yeasts, bacteria, and fungi leading to the production of diverse groups of biosurfactants shows antimicrobial, antifungal like properties which makes them more applicable in many daily products. Along with this addition of emollients like oils, butters, derivatives of alkanes and alcohols lead to form preparations which are having moisturizing effects and properties of surfactants which helps to keep the skin intact and moisturized. Keywords— Skin care, Synthetic, Surfactant, Stratum corneum, Atopic dermatitis, Acne, Rosacea, Mild, Cleansers 1. INTRODUCTION Many of the environmental impurities including cosmetic products are not water soluble that’s why washing the skin only by using water is not sufficient to remove dirt and impurities. Substances like surfactants or detergents which are capable of emulsifying them into finer particles are used to make these fat-soluble impurities water soluble. Herein, skin cleansing fit into the picture which contain different variety of surface active agents (surfactants, emulsifiers, detergents etc.) which are having capacity to lower the surface tension which helps in order to remove unwanted materials from skin like dirt, excess oil, sebum, sweat etc. from skin surface also help promoting skin exfoliation. For the investigation of skin irritation a wide range of chemicals like organic solvents, surfactants, acids, alkalis etc. also including cantharidin, croton oil, dithranol, phenol etc. are found to be skin irritant. Recently, however, surfactants have been the most frequently have found to be a potential skin irritant. An ideal cleanser should do all these work without causing irritation and damage to the skin also keeping the moisture of the skin [1]. 2. SURFACTANTS (SURFACE – ACTIVE AGENTS) As the name suggest surfactant, a chemical that will absorb at an air-water or oil-water interface and at the surface of solids. Because of the unusual polymeric properties of these materials has become subject of a major investigation. Surfactants contain both polar and non-polar regions. The molecule may carry a positive or negative charge, give rise to cationic or anionic surfactants respectively. The non-polar or hydrophobic region may contain a polyoxyethylene chain and it includes a flexible chain of hydrocarbon. Surfactant molecule has one hydrophilic and one hydrophobic molecule, hence named amphiphilic substances. Because of such structure even in aqueous system surfactant molecules does not distribute themselves evenly. Apart from molecules dissolved in the water, there will be surfactant concentration at interfaces, reducing the interfacial tension. Once saturation of interface, the surfactant molecules start interacting with each other to form clusters in the bulk phase known as micelles. The micelles are in equilibrium