Professor Majella Lane

Title:- Application of Confocal Raman Spectroscopy in personal care formulation.

Abstract

Confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) is a non-invasive method that combines the principles of confocal microscopy and Raman spectroscopy to enable high analytical spatial resolution and sensitivity. CRS is a powerful tool in skin research as it can provide detailed information about the molecular composition of the skin as a function of depth. Additionally, it enables the determination of skin uptake of topically applied substances in real time in vitro and in vivo without sample pre-treatment or labelling. This presentation will review our experience with CRS over the years for investigation of delivery of molecules to the skin following topical application. Most recently we have investigated the quantitative capability of CRS in vivo and demonstrated excellent correlations with the well-established in vitro Franz-diffusion cell model. As rational formulation design is predicated on identifying those vehicle components that are optimal for a specific active, we have also examined excipient delivery in skin with CRS.  We believe that CRS will prove a reliable, fast, and non-invasive method to assess formulation efficacy thus facilitating cost-effective and accelerated product development.

Biography

Majella holds a degree in pharmaceutical science and a PhD in membrane transport. Her major areas of expertise include delivery of actives to and through the skin, biophysical approaches towards the elucidation of active-skin and formulation-skin interactions, mechanisms of active absorption in skin and topical formulation design and evaluation. To date she has published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers, supervised 30 PhD students, and mentored 15 postdoctoral research associates. Majella also acts as a consultant to many multinational companies. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Cosmetic Science and she serves on the editorial board of a number of cosmetic and pharmaceutical science journals. In 2020 Majella was appointed to the Council of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of the United Kingdom. Her research group collaborates worldwide and she also hosts visiting scientists from academia and industry in her laboratory.