You ask…
Can’t pretty much anything be absorbed through the skin? How do you guys know? Why do you charge for formulation assistance?
We answer…
No, not everything can be used in a patch – even if it absorbs in other situations. A variety of factors come into play when determining whether or not a particular ingredient will function as intended. Molecular size, polarity, and pH of the ingredient are only some of these factors. (Reference article here). If you have one ingredient that absorbs more quickly and readily than another in your formula, you might find that only the one ingredient is actually working.
An example of a category of product that does not absorb is minerals: you might get a magnesium boost from an Epsom salt bath, but you can’t get magnesium through a patch. Patches don’t work the same way as do creams, oils, or edibles.
American Custom Technologies consults with leading experts in the field, and we have more than 20 years in the business of manufacturing topical and transdermal patches. The experts we work with have lectured on transdermal delivery systems, hold patents for transdermal drug patches, and consult with companies performing level III clinical trials of transdermal medications.