Effect of kappa-carrageenan concentration on encapsulating and releasing vitamin C

Benefits of vitamin C (VC) include boosting the body's immune system, strengthening collagen, and
making the skin smoother and more radiant. However, VC can be broken down by heat, air, or acids, so there needs to be a proper way to release VC into the body. At present, the mask has been developed in the form of a hydrogel sheet to deliver the active ingredients through the skin because it can retain more moisture and does not cause irritation to the skin. Thus, this study aims to fabricate the hydrogel for loading and releasing VC from kappa-carrageenan (k-CAR). The k-CAR hydrogel was prepared by the solvent casting method based on the effect of k-CAR concentrations of 2-5% w/v. The VC was encapsulated into the k-CAR hydrogel by soaking the hydrogel in the VC solution. The amount of VC loaded in the k-CAR hydrogel was 2.1 mg. The amount of VC release decreased with increasing k-CAR concentration, which was consistent with decreasing swelling behavior. The amount of VC release from k-CAR hydrogel was more than 50% of the amount of VC loading within 20 min.