Liposomal Delivery / Phospholipid Vesicle / Lipid Bilayer Carrier
A liposome is a microscopic sphere whose wall is a bilayer of phospholipids — the same class of molecule that builds cell membranes. Because that wall has a water-friendly outer surface and an oil-friendly core, a single liposome can carry water-soluble actives in its centre or fat-soluble actives within its wall, ferrying them through the lipid-rich stratum corneum more easily than the free ingredient would travel alone. Once inside the skin, the bilayer merges with surrounding lipids and releases its cargo. Liposomal vitamin C and liposomal retinol are the best-known examples.
Liposomes are the oldest and most studied encapsulation system in cosmetics, and their skin-identical chemistry is part of why they penetrate well and are generally well tolerated. But "liposomal" is a delivery claim, not a potency guarantee — vesicle size, manufacturing quality and the actual active concentration all decide whether the benefit is real. A small, well-made liposomal serum can outperform a higher-percentage conventional one; a poorly made one is just an ordinary emulsion with a nicer word on the box. Niosomes and solid lipid nanoparticles are related vesicle systems built on the same idea, and biomimetic carriers extend it using skin-identical lipids.
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