Background: d-panthenol is a popular additive in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations. However, in order for this vitamin to provide skin benefits, it must penetrate the stratum corneum.
Objective: To verify the penetrability of d-panthenol in the skin and evaluate the effect of ultrasound on the cutaneous penetration of this vitamin.
Methods: The diffusion cell technique with pig skin as the membrane, distilled water as the receptor solution, and a hydrophilic d-panthenol gel were used for the research. The experimental groups were gel + d-panthenol (10%) and gel + d-panthenol (10%) + ultrasound. The receptor solution was collected at predetermined times and the amount of d-panthenol was determined by using a spectrophotometer at 406 nm.
Results: Ultrasound resulted in a statistically significant increase (P < 0.05) in the penetration of d-panthenol at 2, 60, and 240 min.
Conclusion: d-panthenol penetration through the pig's skin is enhanced through the use of ultrasound.