Conoce las formas farmacéuticas: Cremas

Understanding Creams and Their Composition

Overview of Pharmaceutical Forms

• Creams are semi-solid pharmaceutical forms applied to the skin or mucous membranes, similar to ointments, pastes, and gels.

• Ointments differ from creams as they use a fatty base without water, while pastes contain high percentages of finely dispersed solids in either aqueous or oily bases.

Characteristics of Gels and Creams

• Gels are transparent or translucent systems containing a colloidal substance like gelatin in a viscous medium.

• Creams are emulsions made from two immiscible liquids (oil and water), where one liquid is dispersed in the other as small droplets stabilized by surfactants.

Ingredients in Cream Formulation

• The active ingredient provides therapeutic effects (e.g., antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory).

• A cream consists of an oily phase (oils or waxes like almond oil or beeswax) and an aqueous phase (distilled water, floral waters, infusions).

Preparation Process

• Surfactants help maintain the mixture's stability; antioxidants, chelating agents, and preservatives ensure physical, chemical, and microbial stability.

• Active ingredients soluble in oil are added to the oily phase while those soluble in water go into the aqueous phase. All components are mixed at 60°C until cooled before packaging.