The invention, a transdermal delivery method, relates to penetration-enhancing pharmaceutical compositions comprising a novel, stable mixture of cetylated esters, cetyl or stearyl alcohols, polar solvents and surfactants, which, under appropriate conditions, combine into amphiphilic nanoparticles within a stabilized liquid dispersion for use in delivery of medicinal agents through the skin. The term cetosomes is used to describe these particles in order to differentiate them from other nanoparticles, such as niosomes, cerasomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, liposomes, lipoids, solid lipid nanoparticles and other particles. The self-assembling cetosomes, with both ionic and nonionic points of attraction, incorporate and concentrate a variety of different bioactive agents of interest and demonstrate stable properties with similarities to colloidal molecular structures. The compositions enhance topical transdermal fluxes of bioactives without permanently disrupting natural skin barrier function.
