Sucrose esters have long been used in cosmetics due to their plant origin, very high biodegradability, and skin tolerability. Hydrophilic derivatives are normally monoesters, the primary types of which are sucrose palmitate and sucrose stearate, and they are used as hydrophilic emulsifiers. Lipophilic derivatives have at least two or three moles of fatty acid, and the primary types are sucrose distearate and sucrose polystearate. Their primary characteristic is that they allow for the preparation of highly transparent lipogels that also contain one part water and related active ingredients. It is a delicate process that is difficult to execute, but our labs have now mastered the technique. Being able to incorporate water in oil while keeping the result transparent and stable has always been a great technical challenge, in the same way as obtaining lipogels that are highly transparent, spreadable, and with a “creamy” viscosity. These two challenges have been overcome by succeeding in industrializing the use of these two substances.
