Non-invasive Skin Barrier Lipid Packing Analysis Using FT-IR and Study of Cosmetic Formulation for Damaged Barrier

The barrier structure of the skin’s epidermis is a key structure to prevent the loss of water inside the body and the invasion of foreign substances, and is composed of keratinocytes and intercellular lipids. At this time, the intercellular lipids of the skin barrier has the strongest structure when packed in an orthorhombic structure. However, it is damaged by various external causes and changes to a hexagonal structure. This change in physical structure can be analyzed non-invasively by analyzing the signal of the CH2-CH2 scissoring band of lipids using FT-IR. In this study, SDS was treated on porcine skin to construct a skin barrier damage model, and the degree of change in packing structure was quantified by analyzing FT-IR signals. We then judged whether the barrier of the damage model was recovered according to the treatment of the cosmetic formulation. From these results, an indirect method of measuring the water evaporation of the skin barrier to date can be supplemented. In addition, physical changes in the structure of the skin barrier can be utilized in a direct and efficient manner to identify the function and verify the formulation of various materials.