Outlook and developments
Microcapsules: from encapsulation to artificial cells

As described above, the formulation of microcapsules from water-in-water emulsions offers multiple advantages: i) the use of all-aqueous systems, with no solvents or oils, ii) the spontaneous sequestration of active ingredients, which can then be encapsulated in the strict sense, and iii) the diversity of systems that can potentially be used to manufacture these capsules. However, at least three aspects will have to be deployed to enable applications to be developed.

• The first concerns the actual formulation of these microcapsules, and therefore depends on the intended application. For example, the use of gelatin or proteins in general to formulate water-in-water emulsions is prohibited for cosmetic and even pharmacological applications. Similarly, some of the stabilizing agents (nanoparticles) and cross-linking agents needed to formulate...