Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate: properties, uses, pros, cons, safety

Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate is a chemical compound of vegetable origin, an ester of stearic acid and glycerin, with a solid appearance and yellow color.

What it is for and where

Cosmetics

Skin conditioning agent - Emollient. Emollients have the characteristic of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties by filling gaps in intercorneocyte clusters to improve hydration while protecting against inflammation. In practice, they have the ability to create a barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss.  Emollients are described as degreasing or refreshing additives that improve the lipid content of the upper layers of the skin by preventing degreasing and drying of the skin. The problem with emollients is that many have a strong lipophilic character and are identified as occlusive ingredients; they are oily and fatty materials that remain on the skin surface and reduce transepidermal water loss. In cosmetics, emollients and moisturisers are often considered synonymous with humectants and occlusives.

Applications

• Emulsifier - Used to help stabilize and form emulsions by keeping oil and water phases from separating.
• Skin Conditioning Agent - Due to its emollient properties, it can give the skin a feeling of softness and hydration.
• Texture and Consistency - Can be used to improve the consistency and feel of products on the skin, making them creamier or smoother.
• Hair Care Products - Might be found in conditioners and hair treatments to improve their spreadability and feel.

Food

In the food industry it controls, emulsifies, disperses, stabilizes and regulates viscosity in:

• protein drinks, drinks containing protein and/or fat
• foodstuffs: in the processing of meat containing fats so that the fats are dispersed correctly. In the processing of baked goods sugar and fats are evenly amalgamated improving expansion and shelf life. In noodles it improves elasticity and hold during boiling by inhibiting sticking. 
• ice creams: makes the taste smoother and expands the volume
• feeds

Other uses

• lubrication
• paints
• leathers
• paper
• etc.

HLB (Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance, which expresses the relative efficiency of the hydrophilic portion of a surfactant molecule compared to its lipophilic portion of the same molecule) has better hydrophilicity than Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate and is stronger because it has a polyglycerin chain is longer and is therefore more hydrophilic and more suitable for better emulsion in the water/oil ratio.

The PH value does not affect the emulsifying power of Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, which is stable in both thickening and dispersion.

Molecular Formula: C₃₆H₇₂O₁₄

Molecular Weight: 728.9

CAS: 95461-65-7

UNII ETY9Q81E2T

Synonyms: 

• Nikkol hexaglyn 1-s
• Nikkol hexaglyn 1-s
• Sunsoft Q-18F
• Polydermanol PS-104-da

References_____________________________________________________________________

Das S, Devarajan PV. Enhancing Safety and Efficacy by Altering the Toxic Aggregated State of Amphotericin B in Lipidic Nanoformulations. Mol Pharm. 2020 Jun 1;17(6):2186-2195. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00313.

Abstract. The toxicity of Amphotericin B (AmB) is contributed by the small, water-soluble aggregates of the drug. Hence, AmB lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LIPOMER), comprising stearate lipids with a hydrophilic polymer Gantrez (GZ), and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), comprising only stearates, were prepared with the objective of monomerizing AmB. While intercalation of stearates with the hydrophobic polyene chain could hinder AmB-AmB interactions, enabling monomerization, it was hypothesized that GZ could aid in the stabilization of the monomers through hydrophilic interactions. AmB LIPOMERs and SLNs, prepared by nanoprecipitation, exhibited an average size of 350-500 nm with negative ζ potential. Polyglyceryl-6-distearate (PGDS) SLN exhibited maximum monomerization, with the highest peak IV (410 nm) to peak I (350 nm) ratio in the UV-visible spectrum. In total contrast, LIPOMERs and GZ nanoparticles revealed a hypsochromic shifted peak I between 321 and 324 nm, indicative of AmB super-aggregate formation. Super-aggregates, which result due to condensation of multiple aggregates with monomers, were attributed to extensive GZ-AmB and GZ-GZ interactions and could provide advantages of enhanced thermodynamic stability, with safety and efficacy similar to the monomeric form. Safety was confirmed by low and comparable erythrocyte toxicity exhibited by the LIPOMERs and SLNs. An in vitro efficacy study of PGDS LIPOMER and SLN against intracellular amastigotes revealed significantly lower IC50 values, which translated to a 7.1- and 6.1-fold enhancement in efficacy compared to commercial nanoformulations Amfocare (micellar AmB) and 1.79- and 1.54-fold enhancement in efficacy compared to Fungisome (liposomal AmB). High efficacy coupled with a higher selectivity index indicated the superiority of the developed AmB nanoformulations and substantiated that altering the toxic aggregated state of AmB can offer a promising approach for the design of safe and efficacious AmB lipidic nanoformulations.