PHARMACEUTICS1L: Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Drug Delivery Systems and

Medical Devices (Lab)

Ivy Rose C. Orozco, RPh
POST-LABORATORY DISCUSSION

- Veg. oil replaced by mineral oil due to

PREPARATION #7 unstability
COLD CREAM
2 Types of Cold Cream:
1. Bees-wax borax emulsion – w/o type of
Semisolid dosage forms: Ointment, cream and gels – emulsion; white emulsified and cold cream type;
intended for topical application (skin, eye surface, nasal, opaque and high luster; spreads easily on skin and
vaginal, or rectal) water evaporates after application on skin;
almond oil not ideal
Packaging of Creams and Ointments
Ingredients:
o clear or opaque (for light sensitive products) glass
or plastic ointment jars - available in 0.5oz to 1lb. o Beeswax – natural purified honeycomb;
- avoid entrapment of air to lowest melting point, produces softest
maintain stability emulsions; non-comedogenic
o tubes – lightweight, inexpensive, convenient for o Lanolin
use, provide protection against external o Mineral oil – stable, cheaper, not rancid
contamination and environmental conditions on skin, and long shelf-life; forms an
occlusive barrier preventing water from
Creams – semisolid preparations that contain one or more
escaping from the skin (moisturizer, anti-
medicinal agents that are dissolved or dispersed in either
aging); non-carcinogenic and non-
an oil-in-water
comedogenic
emulsion or in
o Isopropyl myristate
another type of
water-washable base o Acetoglyceride
o Petroleum jelly
- Easier to spread o Borax – when dissolved in water,
and remove than
produces boric acid (buffer) and sodium
ointments
hydroxide (anionic emulsifier)
- Lighter and less
o Water
viscuous than ointments, impart a pseudo-plastic flow
when applied on the skin
2. Mixture of Hydrocarbon oil and wax
2 Types: containing cold cream – translucent, liquefying
Oil-in-water (o/w) – vanish on skin (vanishing cream) ex: and anhydrous
shaving cream, hand cream, foundation cream
Water-in-oil (w/o) – oily feel on skin ex: emollient cream Spermaceti - obtained from the sperm whale. It contains,
and cold cream among other materials, an ester known as cetyl palmitate,
which is used as an emollient in a number of soaps and
Cold cream – emulsion of water and certain fats, usually
cosmetics.
beeswax and various scent agents, designed to smooth
skin and remove makeup; cooling feeling that the cream
Cetyl alcohol, also called 1-hexadecanol, [CH3(CH2)15OH],
leaves on the skin due to slow evaporation of water
a solid organic compound that was one of the first alcohols
present in the emulsion
to be isolated from fats. Cetyl alcohol was discovered in
- Old days: prepared from animal fats and veg. 1817 by the French chemist Michel Chevreul. When he
oils (rancid, replaced by mineral oils which is
more stable)
- o/w type of emulsion but after application on
skin, will invert to w/o type
- storage: well closed container at temp. not
exceeding 25 deg. C (cool place)
- prepared by mixture of natural waxes (e.g.
beeswax) and vegetable oils (e.g. olive oil)
stabilized by borax

1
 PHARMACEUTICS1L: Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Drug Delivery Systems and
Medical Devices (Lab)
Ivy Rose C. Orozco, RPh
POST-LABORATORY DISCUSSION

heated a sample of spermaceti (a solid wax formed by the

cooling of sperm whale oil) with caustic potash (potassium
hydroxide), colourless crystals appeared.

Advantage:
1. Used for skin treatment
2. Mineral ingredients work as moisturizer for dry
skin
3. Makeup remover, cleanser, make up base,
alternative to shaving cream and can exfoliate the
skin with hot water
Disadvantage:
1. Quite heavy in consistency
2. Not for temperate and humid weather
ADDITIONAL READING:
 Dermatologic Ointments and Creams by
Therapeutic Category
 Examples of Rectal and Vaginal Creams and
Ointments
REFERENCES:
o Kamla Pathak AV. Cosmetic Science Concepts and
Principles. 1st Ed., Nirali Prakashan, p. 4.13-4.15
o Ansel’s Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug
Delivery Systems – Semisolid Dosage Forms and
Transdermal Systems

STUDENT ADDITIONAL NOTES: