Volume-2 ,Issue-8, August- 2026

Ethosomal gels are advanced vesicular drug delivery systems designed to enhance topical and transdermal delivery of therapeutic agents by improving skin permeation, drug retention, and bioavailability. Ethosomes are composed of phospholipids, high concentrations of ethanol, and water, which together create flexible vesicles capable of penetrating the stratum corneum more effectively than conventional liposomes. The presence of ethanol disrupts the skin lipid barrier and increases drug partitioning, while the vesicular structure enables delivery of both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs into deeper skin layers. Incorporation of ethosomes into gel bases further improves stability, spreadability, patient compliance, and residence time, making them suitable for sustained and localized drug delivery. This review summarizes the structure and barrier function of skin, the concept and composition of ethosomes, preparation methods, characterization and evaluation parameters, and their applications in antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, transdermal, cosmetic, and herbal drug delivery. Recent advances such as nanoethosomes and transethosomes have further enhanced their performance and broadened their pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applications, although challenges related to stability, irritation potential, and scale-up still need to be addressed for wider clinical and industrial use.

Keyword: Ethosomal gel; Ethosomes; Transdermal drug delivery; Vesicular systems; Nanocarriers; Skin permeation enhancement