Ethyle alcohol is a solvent without any penetration capabilites. The d-limonene is the only penetration enhancer in your formula. It is always best to add a few so they can work synergistically.
The hand sanitzier is useless. It was never meant to penetrate. Just work topically on bacteria.
I don't know if this helps to explain my reasoning, but all the formulas I've researched places ethylene as preferred over isopropyl, they always list it first anyways. I've also found other research that said alcohol is a penetration enhancer, and coconut oil is pure lauric acid, and that it's the best natural penetration enhancer of all the oils.
Pasted from Hormone replacement therapy drug formulations for topical application to the skin
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5968919.html
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention has as a principal object to provide stable topical compositions effective for the transdermal application of testosterone, estradiol, or other hormone compounds by the application of the composition to the skin.
The above and other objects of the invention, which will become more apparent from the following more detailed description and preferred embodiments is achieved, according to a first aspect of the invention, by an hormonal drug containing alcoholic or aqueous alcoholic composition which comprises, on a weight basis, of the total composition:
a therapeutically effective amount of hormonal drug;
a skin penetration enhancing effective amount, in the range of from about 0.5 to 25%, of a C 7 to C 14 -hydrocarbyl substituted 1,3-dioxolane, 1,3-dioxane or acetal (which may hereinafter be collectively referred to as SPE);
0 to about 30% of 1,2-diol having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms;
at least about 35% of volatile alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, propanol and mixture thereof;
0 to about 40% water; and,
optionally, a gelling agent effective to thicken the composition to avoid or minimize run-off when applied to the skin.
In preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention the ingredients are included in the formulation in the following ranges:
from about 0.01 to 10%, preferably 1 to 6%, especially preferably 1.0 to 4% hormone;
from about 2 to 15%, preferably 5 to 10% of SPE wherein the hydrocarbyl group substituent has from about 7 to 10 carbon atoms;
from about 5 to 30%, preferably 5 to 20% propylene glycol;
from about 35 to 70% ethanol, isopropanol or mixture thereof;
from about 0 to 35% water; and,
up to about 4% of cellulosic thickener.
