Minerals in Pharmacy and Cosmetics

Since remote times, some minerals have been used in medicines and cosmetics, alone or in mixtures. The advantage of minerals in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics is the fact that they are natural and that in adequate proportions they are harmless. On the one hand, some minerals are used as active substances or ingredients in pharmaceuticals; examples and their specific roles are reported and discussed. Also, some minerals are used as excipients in pharmaceutical preparations to enhance their organoleptic characteristics, to improve their physicochemical properties, and to facilitate the elaboration, conservation, and liberation of the active ingredient inside the organism. On the other hand, some minerals are used in cosmetics as active ingredients and excipients. At last the chapter provides information about the guidelines relative to elements and minerals that as impurities could be present in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, as well as about cosmetic microbiology and antimicrobial protection.