title: Approche osmotique de l'hydratation du stratum corneum.
abstract: Summary An osmotic approach to a study of hydration of the stratum corneum At first Middleton, in his classic studies, explains the water sorption of stratum corneum by osmotic processes. To follow Middleton, and in order to study water osmosis diffusion, we made an osmotic model of stratum corneum (OMSC). The OMSC was constituted by 0.8 g of sheep wool, which was closed in a dialysis bag. When the OMSC was placed in the water, its weight increased, due to water diffusing through the membrane to bind with the protein. The rate of sorption was slow, but the value was about the same as that which Scheuplein has observed for the stratum corneum. At saturation, the weight of 'bound water'was 13 times greater than the weight of keratine. The components of Natural Moisturizing Factor and glycerol enhance the sorption rate and the weight fraction 'bound water'at saturation. The best component is urea. This observation suggests that humectants increase the number of water-binding sites of keratin. The OMSC could allow preliminary tests of water-soluble skin moisturizers.
authors.affiliation: Cosmétiques, Formulations & Commercialisations, Université Paul-Sabatier, 4 R1, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse cedex, France.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Forestier