Patent ID: 6936187

Claim:
A bulk cubic liquid crystalline gel suitable for topical application to skin, hair, fabric, and plant surfaces, for the delivery of pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic active ingredients consisting essentially of: (A) an amphiphile comprising a monoglyceride capable of forming a cubic liquid crystalline phase; (B) a polar solvent; and (C) an additive selected from the group consisting of an ionic anchor, a tether, and combinations thereof, and wherein (A), (B), and (C) are present in mass fractions relative to each other such that 1.0 =a+b+c wherein a is the mass fraction of (A), b is the mass fraction of (B), and c is the mass fraction of (C), and wherein the mass-fractional relationship between a, b and c is 0.8>a>0.5, 0.8>b>0.5, 0.1>c>0; and with the proviso that a, b, and c fall within a cubic liquid crystalline phase region on a phase diagram representing phase behavior of (A), (B), and (C).