Novel cosmetic patches for wrinkle improvement: Retinyl retinoate- and ascorbic acid-loaded dissolving microneedles

Synopsis Objective To evaluate wrinkle improvement and safety of a novel cosmetic dissolving microneedle patches loaded with two active compounds with different hydrophilicities, namely ascorbic acid and retinyl retinoate. Methods Clinical studies were performed on 24 Korean women for 12 weeks. Patients in group A were treated with retinyl retinoate-loaded dissolving microneedle patches on the left eye crow's feet area, and patients in group B were treated with ascorbic acid-loaded patches on the right eye crow's feet area twice daily. Wrinkle improvement was evaluated by skin Visiometer SV 600. Results Both the retinyl retinoate- and ascorbic acid-loaded dissolving microneedle patches demonstrated statistically significant differences in all Visiometer R-values (P < 0.05). In particular, highly significant differences were shown at R1 (skin roughness) and R5 (arithmetic average roughness) (P < 0.001). Also, there were no side effects such as allergies or irritant contact dermatitis. Conclusion Retinyl retinoate and ascorbic acid were successfully loaded into dissolving microneedles and used to produce novel cosmetic patches. These novel patches can be used efficiently in cosmetics given their patient usability, safety and effectiveness in wrinkle improvement.