• EMULGEL: A REVIEW

Abstract

A unique feature of topical drug delivery is the direct accessibility of the skin as a target organ for diagnosis and treatment. Among the various groups of semisolid preparations, the use of gels has expanded both in cosmetics and in pharmaceutical preparations. Despite of several advantages of gels there is a limitation in delivery of hydrophobic drug moiety. This limitation can be overcome by the use of novel drug delivery i.e, EMULGEL. When gel and emulsion are used in combined form the dosage form is referred as Emulgel .The clinical evidence indicates that topical Emulgel is a safe and effective treatment option for use in the management of skin related disease and used for local action to reduce the side effects associated with other conventional dosage form. Emulgel are either emulsion of oil in water or water in oil type, which is gelled by mixing it with gelling agent. Incorporation of emulsion into gel increases its stability and makes it dual release control system. In recent years, there has been great interest in the use of novel polymers. Polymer can function as emulsifiers and thickeners because the gelling capacity of these compounds allows the formulation of stable emulsions and creams by decreasing surface and interfacial tension and at the same time increasing the viscosity of the aqueous phase. In fact, the presence of a gelling agent in the water phase converts a classical emulsion into an emulgel. Emulgels for dermatological use have several favourable properties such as being thixotropic, greaseless, easily spreadable, easily removable, emollient, non-staining, water-soluble, longer shelf life, bio-friendly, transparent and pleasing appearance.