A liposome is a tiny sphere with a water-filled center surrounded by a double layer of phospholipids, the same family of fats found in cell membranes. Because it has both a watery core and a fatty shell, a liposome can hold water-loving and oil-loving ingredients (Phospholipid-Based Vesicular Systems review).
Why formulators use them
Researchers have encapsulated many cosmetic ingredients, including peptides, vitamins, and plant extracts, in liposomes to improve their stability and their delivery into the upper layers of the skin (Phospholipid-Based Vesicular Systems review). For delicate ingredients like peptides, protection inside the formula is a real practical benefit.
The honest limits
Encapsulation is often overstated in marketing. A review of ethosomes, a related carrier, notes that classic liposomes generally stay in the upper layer of the skin and do not penetrate deeply. Only specially designed vesicles have been shown to improve penetration into the stratum corneum (Therapeutic and cosmeceutical potential of ethosomes). Another review notes that conventional liposomes can have limited stability and low encapsulation rates for some water-soluble ingredients (Enhancing Dermal Absorption of Cosmeceuticals).
In other words, a liposome is not a sealed vault, and it does not deliver ingredients "deep into the dermis" simply because it is a liposome. Phrases like "cell membrane fusion" or "full dermal-depth delivery" go further than the general evidence supports.
How we describe it
We use liposomal encapsulation because it helps protect delicate peptides in the formula. That is the claim we make, and it is the one the evidence supports.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice.
