Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems and the application in drugs and cosmetics

Self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have the potential to enhance the bioavailability and therapeutic impact of active ingredients that are poorly water-soluble, low pemeability and unstable. The active ingredient, oil, surfactant, co-surfactant and/or co-solvent are the main elements of SEDDS. Supersaturable SEDDS have been developed to increase the efficiency of active ingredient loading by incorporating precipitation inhibitors (PIs) into SEDDS that help maintain the supersaturated state, preventing drug precipitation in the gastrointestinal tract. Due to these benefits, SEDDS have been studied and applied in drugs and cosmetics in various dosage forms including solidification (S-SEDDS) by different techniques to create powder, granules, pellets to apply to tablets, hard capsules as well as soft capsules, lotions, and some other semi-solid dosage forms... This review mainly focuses on the components, formulation, and applications of SEDDS in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.