Colloidal structures of O/W creams.

O/W creams with crystalline gel structures (Water Containing Hydrophilic Ointment DAB 8, Non-ionic Hydrophilic Ointment DAC and a stearate cream) were investigated by means of small angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and freeze fracture technique in combination with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). It was found that these bases are building up two different colloidal gel structures, a hydrophilic gel phase and a lipophilic gel phase, each of them forming a coherent network. The hydrophilic gel phase is characterized by an interlamellar water layer; this interlamellarly fixed water is in a dynamic equilibrium with the bulk water phase. The lipophilic gel phase immobilizes mainly the inner (dispersed) phase. So the O/W creams presented here are supposed to be four-phase systems. The ratio of interlamellarly fixed water and bulk water, which may be determined easily by means of thermogravimetry, is found to be an important quality criterion for these O/W creams. The desired properties of water release of such a cream may be chosen by shifting the ratio of interlamellarly fixed water and bulk water.