Characteristic Properties and Application of Amino Acid Based Esters

Amino acid based esters, which have amino acid residue as hydrophilic moiety, are reviewed with respect to their properties and cosmetic applications. Due to their chemical structures, they could be described as polar materials which have properties of oils and surfactants. In this paper, two types of amino acid based esters are introduced. N-lauroyl sarcosine isopropyl ester (SLIP) can dissolve low-solubility materials such as organic UV-A absorbing agents, and improve the dispersion of Titanium dioxide pigments in oil. SLIP allows low-solubility materials to be easily incorporated into cosmetic formulation. On the other hand, N-lauroyl glutamic acid sterol esters (AGCEs) are cosmetically very suitable for skin-care and hair-care products. AGCEs show similarities to intercellular lipids of epidermis and hair.