With today's demand for high performance, yet natural cosmetics, the use of delivery systems for active ingredients has gained popularity. Such systems allow easier formulatin along with protection of the payload in formulas.

KOBO products laboratory specializes in development of delivery systems based upon natural ingredients such as Glyscopheres and Kobosomes, which are two submicron delivery systems adpted to skin penetration.

For applications where active materials are better delivered in large, visible and colored beads, KOBO products has developed Softspheres.

1. Structure

Agar-agar is a natural polysaccharide, extracted from algaes, able to form aqueous gels by natural crosslinking. Active ingredients can thus be trapped in beads made of this materials. However, to be soft enough for being crushed onto the skin and delivering the entrapped active material, the gel should present a very large mesh size which is not compatible with efficient retention of small molecules.  Active material would then be released in formulas, far before reaching its target( skin)

The unique structure of Softspheres uses the properties of a copolymer, both cationic and amphiphilic, which interacts with and retains active molecules. As a large and cationic molecule, the copolymer is unable to move out of the agar-agar matrix and traps the active materials within the soft bead

The Softspheres's technology, developped by KOBO products, allows the production of beads with various size(ranging from 0.2 to 5 mm), softness, color; entrapped active ingredients can be either hydrophilic or lipophilic.

2. Entrapment

3. Application

Unlike microcapsules (Gelatin beads for instance), the Softspheres will not leave a residue behind after breaking. The agar bead dissolves as it is rubbed into the skin

Kobo Products develops and custom manufactures Softspheres to match your specifications in terms of type and amount of delivered active ingredients, size, colour, and texture of the beads.

The following list shows examples of active ingredients we have already entrapped in Softspheres: