J. Cosmet. Sci., 62, 549–563 (November/December 2011) 549 Advanced carrier systems in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals: A review DANHUI LI, ZIMEI WU, NATALY MARTINI, and JINGYUAN WEN, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, 93 Grafton Road, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand. Accepted for publication June 21, 2011. Synopsis Carrier systems refer to carrier vesicles such as liposomes, nano/microparticles, emulsions, etc., that are cou- pled with active agents and applied to products to achieve the promoted effects of the active ingredients. This article reviews the recent research on carrier systems, focusing on cosmetic and cosmeceutical applications the pros and cons of each carrier system and products on the market utilizing the technologies are dis- cussed. INTRODUCTION Cosmetic usage has a long history. The fi rst evidence dates back to 3500 BC in ancient Egypt, where predominantly the royalty used makeup including unguent, kohl, and soot to beautify and enhance their skin’s appearance (1). Since then, people’s enthusiasm, es- pecially women’s, and demand for cosmetic products, has led to a prosperous growth in this industry (2). According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cosmetics are defi ned as “articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting at- tractiveness, or altering the appearance and articles intended for use as a component of any such articles except that such term shall not include soap” (3). However, many prod- ucts exhibit functions surpassing that of solely covering and camoufl aging defects in ap- pearance and they often contain therapeutic or “active” ingredients to heal or repair skin tissue. They are in fact more than pure cosmetics and, with this in mind, the term “cos- meceutics” was coined (4). Cosmeceutical products are considered to be the hybrid of cosmetics and topical medication applied topically, they contain ingredients and tech- nology that infl uence the biological and physiological function of the skin. Due to both their skin-altering and skin-healing function, these products are considered to be futuristic (5). Address all correspondence to Jingyuan Wen at j.wen@auckland.ac.nz.