CREAMS

CREAMS

• Creams are semisolid emulsion dosage forms.

• They often contain more than 20% water and volatiles, and/or typically contain less than 50% hydrocarbons, waxes, or polyols as the vehicle for the drug substance.

• Creams are generally intended for external application to the skin or to the mucous membranes.

• Creams have a relatively soft, spreadable consistency and can be formulated as either a W/O emulsion (e.g., Cold Cream or Fatty Cream as in the European Pharmacopoeia) or as an O/W emulsion (e.g., Betamethasone Valerate Cream).

• Creams are generally described as either nonwashable or washable, reflecting the fact

• that an emulsion with an aqueous external continuous phase is more easily removed than one with a nonaqueous external phase (W/O emulsion).

Refer Emulsions