Abstract:

The objective of this research was to compare the functional differences between azelaic acid and chitosan-coated azelaic acid as cosmetic raw materials in terms of skin absorption efficiency, exfoliation, anti-inflammatory and 5α-reductase inhibition. The results showed that the skin absorption of azelaic acid was significantly higher compared to azelaic-chitosan. In terms of exfoliation, both azelaic acid and azelaic-chitosan had a certain exfoliating efficacy. However, compared to azelaic-chitosan, azelaic acid alone resulted in a 25.86% higher number of detached corneocytes and a 27.80% higher total protein content. In terms of anti-inflammation, azelaic-chitosan at the same concentration showed significantly greater inhibitory effects on inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）, prostaglandin E2 （PGE2）, and cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2） compared to decanoic acid. Besides, there was no significant difference in inhibitory activity of 5α-reductase between the two groups. These results suggested that both materials had their advantages in terms of their efficacy as cosmetic ingredients. This study contributed to harnessing the potential benefits of azelaic acid and chitosan coating as cosmetic ingredients while providing valuable reference data for evaluating the application potential of chitosan as a coating material in cosmetics.

Key words: azelaic acid, azelaic-chitosan, skin absorption efficiency, anti-inflammatory capability