Safety Assessment of Starch Nanoparticles as an Emulsifier in Human Skin Cells, 3D Cultured Artificial Skin, and Human Skin

Emulsion systems are widely used in various industries, including the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries, because they require emulsifiers to stabilize the inherently unstable contact between oil and water. Although emulsifiers are included in many products, excessive use of emulsifiers destroys skin barriers and causes contact dermatitis. Accordingly, the consumer demand for cosmetic products made from natural ingredients with biocompatibility and biodegradability has increased. Starch in the form of solid nanosized particles is considered an attractive emulsifier that forms and stabilizes Pickering emulsion. Chemical modification of nanosized starch via acid hydrolysis can effectively provide higher emulsion stability. However, typical acid hydrolysis limits the industrial application of starch due to its high time consumption and low recovery. In previous studies, the effects of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) prepared by treatment with acidic dry heat, which overcomes these limitations, on the formation and stability of Pickering emulsions were reported. In this study, we evaluated the safety of SNPs in skin cell lines, 3D cultured skin, and human skin. We found that the cytotoxicity of SNPs in both HaCaT cells and HDF cells could be controlled by neutralization. We also observed that SNPs did not induce structural abnormalities on 3D cultured skin and did not permeate across micropig skin tissue or human skin membranes. Furthermore, patches loaded with SNPs were found to belong in the “No irritation” category because they did not cause any irritation when placed on human skin. Overall, the study results suggest that SNPs can be used as a safe emulsifier in various industries, including in cosmetics.