Encapsulation of fatty oils into electrospun nanofibers for cosmetic products with antioxidant activity

Abstract

Active compounds derived from pomegranate and sea-buckthorn were encapsulated into polylactide (PLA-based fibers) and poly(vinyl-pirrolidone) (PVP-based fibers) nanofibers using electrospinning technique. The focus was on the antioxidant activity of prepared nonwovens. Morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties were also examined. Due to the different physical and chemical properties of the basic polymers, the obtained results indicate that PLA-based fibers have better antioxidant activity than PVP-based ones. All prepared samples were formed from bead-less continuous fibers networks, but in the case of PLA-based samples some small irregularities in the structure occurred. Mechanical properties were improved with the addition of active compounds in most of the cases, while thermal properties were slightly affected. Preserved antioxidant activity of active compounds by encapsulation and good material properties significant for manipulation, make these functional materials promising candidates for application in cosmetics.