Effect of Occlusivity of oil Film by the States of oil Film on thc Skin Surface

The occlusivity of oils was determined in vivo by measuring the suppression of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) of the skin. Various emollients were applied to human skin in various forms including powders, solutions, and emulsions of different types having different size distributions and the residual states of the oil films on the skin surface were examined with time. In order to discuss the occlusivity in relation with the individual skin conditions, the surface temperature of the skin and the casual lipid level were also determined in each subject. The followings are the results obtained from these experiments. 1. The occlusivity of the oil films varied with time, nature of the oil, amount of the oil, physical forms of the oil, type of the emulsion, and droplet diameter of the emulsion. 2. The occlusion effect of the oil also depended upon the characteristics of the skin such as casual lipid level and TEWL. These results could be explained by the differences in such as uniformity, spreadability, and porosity of the oil films on the skin surface in the residual state. It is believed that the emolliency of the oil can be influenced by these differences.