Hyperspectral imaging for skin care products development

Abstract: Development of personal skin-care products requires practical and non-invasive method to visualise them on human skin, which was not possible with conventional microscope or spectrometer. In the present work, we used a Hyperspectral Camera Imaging (HIS) system that combines an imaging system with spectroscopy technologies to acquire chemical information through reflectance spectra. A short wavelength infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral camera was deployed to directly capture images of participants’ skin with directly applied products. We were able to clearly visualize the product on the skin, also after a selected time following its dryness or absorption, and its distribution on the surface. Moreover, the reflectance spectra recorded verified the presence of the product on the skin and allowed the identification of the single components involved by analysis of the peaks observed. By applying multivariate data methods and calibrating HIS with selected amounts of product, it was also possible to establish a proportional quantification of the products of interest.