Precision Drug Delivery and Anti-Contamination Strategies in Oily Topical Liquid Formulations: A Narrative Review
Journal: Journal of Clinical Medicine Research DOI: 10.32629/jcmr.v7i1.5086
Abstract
This review aims to summarize the key challenges and improvement strategies for precise delivery and contamination control in oily topical liquid formulations. Based on published literature, it examines formulation properties, dispensing variability, user-related factors, post-opening contamination risks, packaging design, and protective technologies. The review shows that dose inconsistency is influenced by viscosity, temperature, container structure, bottle angle, applied force, skin spreading, and patient handling. Repeated use may also increase contamination risk through finger contact, environmental exposure, poor storage, and contaminated dispensing interfaces. Current strategies, including metered-dose delivery, applicator-guided systems, single-dose packaging, improved multidose containers, preservative optimization, and compatibility-aware packaging, may improve dose reproducibility and safety. Overall, oily topical liquid formulations should be managed as integrated product systems. Optimizing formulation, container, dispensing interface, packaging protection, and user instructions is essential to support safer, more accurate, and patient-centered topical therapy.
Keywords
oily topical liquid formulations, topical drug delivery, dose reproducibility, contamination control, packaging safety, patient-centered administration
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[2]Ahuja K, An M, Lio P. A brief review of vehicles for topical therapies. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2024;37(4-6):104-108. doi:10.1159/000541418.
[3]Gold LS, Kwong P, Draelos ZD, et al. Impact of topical vehicles and cutaneous delivery technologies on patient adherence and treatment outcomes in acne and rosacea. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2023;16(5):26-34.
[4]Torres A, Almeida IF, Oliveira R. An overview of proprietary vehicles/bases for topical compounding medicines and cosmetics. Cosmetics. 2024;11(1):16. doi:10.3390/cosmetics11010016.
[5]Raina N, Rani R, Thakur VK, Gupta M. New insights in topical drug delivery for skin disorders: from a nanotechnological perspective. ACS Omega. 2023;8(22):19145-19167. doi:10.1021/acsomega.2c08016.
[6]Barnes TM, Mijaljica D, Townley JP, Spada F, Harrison IP. Vehicles for drug delivery and cosmetic moisturizers: review and comparison. Pharmaceutics. 2021;13(12):2012. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics13122012.
[7]Zhao L, Chen J, Bai B, Song G, Zhang J, Yu H, et al. Topical drug delivery strategies for enhancing drug effectiveness by skin barriers, drug delivery systems and individualized dosing. Front Pharmacol. 2024;14:1333986. doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1333986.
[8]U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Microbiological quality considerations in non-sterile drug manufacturing: guidance for industry (draft guidance). Silver Spring (MD): U.S. Food and Drug Administration; 2021.
[9]da Silva JD, Silva FAM, Rodrigues CF. Microbial contamination in cosmetic products. Cosmetics. 2025;12(5):198. doi:10.3390/cosmetics12050198.
[10]U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA requests label changes and single-use packaging for some over-the-counter topical antiseptic products to decrease risk of infection. Silver Spring (MD): U.S. Food and Drug Administration; 2013.
[11]Achagar R, Ait-Touchente Z, El Ati R, Boujdi K, Thoume A, Abdou A, et al. A comprehensive review of essential oil-nanotechnology synergy for advanced dermocosmetic delivery. Cosmetics. 2024;11(2):48. doi:10.3390/cosmetics11020048.
[12]Javed S, Mangla B, Salawi A, Sultan MH, Almoshari Y, Ahsan W. Essential oils as dermocosmetic agents, their mechanism of action and nanolipidic formulations for maximized skincare. Cosmetics. 2024;11(6):210. doi:10.3390/cosmetics11060210.
[13]Lo A, Lovell KK, Greenzaid JD, Oscherwitz ME, Feldman SR. Adherence to treatment in dermatology: literature review. JEADV Clin Pract. 2024;3(2):401-418. doi:10.1002/jvc2.379.
[14]Balding EE, Martino AK, Salisbury KR, Feldman SR. Assessing secondary adherence to topical treatments: scoping review revealing lack of standardized approach in clinical research. J Dermatolog Treat. 2024;35(1):2430687. doi:10.1080/09546634.2024.2430687.
[15]DiRuggiero D, Agopian J, Baker A, Blair A, Brunner M, Dinallo A, et al. Recommendations for topical corticosteroid use and the role of alternative, advanced targeted topical treatments in the treatment of chronic inflammatory skin diseases. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2025;18(5-6 Suppl 1):S10-S13.
[16]Svendsen MT, Möller S, Feldman SR, Andersen KE. Increasing the quantity of topical corticosteroids applied reduces the severity of psoriasis: results from two randomized controlled trials. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2026;51(1):92-97. doi:10.1093/ced/llaf349.
[17]Cîrstea N, Radu A, Vesa C, Radu AF, Bungau AF, Tit DM, et al. Current insights on treatment adherence in prevalent dermatological conditions and strategies to optimize adherence rates. Cureus. 2024;16(9):e69764. doi:10.7759/cureus.69764.
[18]Iskandar K, Marchin L, Kodjikian L, Rocher M, Roques C. Highlighting the microbial contamination of the dropper tip and cap of in-use eye drops, the associated contributory factors, and the risk of infection: a past-30-years literature review. Pharmaceutics. 2022;14(10):2176. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics14102176.
[19]Mohammed YH, Namjoshi S, Telaprolu KC, Jung N, Shewan HM, Stokes JR, et al. Impact of different packaging configurations on a topical cream product. Pharm Res. 2024;41(10):2043-2056. doi:10.1007/s11095-024-03772-5.
[20]Jin X, Imran M, Mohammed Y. Topical semisolid products-understanding the impact of metamorphosis on skin penetration and physicochemical properties. Pharmaceutics. 2022;14(11):2487. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics14112487.
[21]Dhaliwal DK, Shukla AG, Singh IP, Syed ZA, White DE. Clinical benefits of preservative-free treatment for glaucoma with a focus on preservative-free latanoprost. Ophthalmol Ther. 2025;14(11):2653-2671. doi:10.1007/s40123-025-01241-9.
[22]Hsiao WK, O’Mahony C, Bunge A, et al. Opportunities of topical drug products in a changing dermatological landscape. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2024;203:106913. doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106913.
[23]Godse K, Dethe G, Sawant S, Sharma A, Pereira R, Ghate S, et al. Clinical evaluation of the safety and tolerability of film-forming sprays in patients with psoriasis and eczema. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e57020. doi:10.7759/cureus.57020.
[24]Vasdev N, Chaudhari N, Polaka S, Rajpoot K, Gondaliya P, Sayyed AA, et al. Current progress in preservative-free topical ophthalmic formulations. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol. 2023;79:103996. doi:10.1016/j.jddst.2022.103996.
[25]Alshehrei FM. Microbiological quality assessment of skin and body care cosmetics by using challenge test. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2024;31(4):103965. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2024.103965.
[26]Tang Z, Du Q. Mechanism of action of preservatives in cosmetics. J Dermatol Sci Cosmet Technol. 2024;1(4):100054. doi:10.1016/j.jdsct.2024.100054.
[27]Poddębniak P, Kalinowska-Lis U. A survey of preservatives used in cosmetic products. Appl Sci (Basel). 2024;14(4):1581. doi:10.3390/app14041581.
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