Objective: To investigate the effect of natural oils and their components on the water permeability and marker molecules of stratum corneum either when intact or after exposure to mechanical stress.
Methods: Full thickness porcine skin was used. The subcutaneous fat was removed with a scalpel. The remaining tissue was dermatomed. A validated tape-stripping procedure was used to induce skin damage. Tritiated water coupled with a scintillation counter was used for measuring the water permeability of skin, caffeine as hydrophilic molecule and testosterone as hydrophobic one.
Results: Mean flux values for permeation of tritiated water versus time were monitored for intact and stripped skin treated with the oils and for untreated controls shows reduction of water permeability and retain skin barrier function for stripped skin, on the other hand all tested oils increases the reflux of caffeine and testosterone for both intact and stripped skin.
Conclusions: Both sunflower oil and its main components, oleic acid and linoleic acid, significantly decreased the permeability of skin to water. For the damaged skin the oils were effective in reducing the flux to values lower than intact skin. No significant differences between sunflower oil and its components were found to exist, the implication being that either the natural sunflower oil or its components could be employed in skin products.