• Period of stay: from 02.10.2023 to 03.10.2023

Report

In early October 2023, I had the privilege of attending the 6th Symposium "Skin and Formulations" - organised by the Symposium of the International Society for Drug Delivery Sciences and Technology, known as APGI, in the nice city of Nantes, France. The event was sponsored by DuPont™ Liveo™ and GDR Cosm'Actifs. The conference was open to researchers and exhibitors such as Lipoid GmbH and approximately 150 people attended.

I had the honor of presenting my first poster focusing on my PhD project on Ginseng-based formulations and their storage stability over 12 weeks, which gave me the opportunity to network, share findings and exchange ideas with other PhD students and researchers.

During the poster sections, coffee breaks, and the amazing conference dinner at the “Ile de Machines” in the city center of Nantes, I had inspirational discussions on various methods specifically used in pharmaceutical technology with a German working group, who already collaborated with the University of Vienna many times.

The congress had a diverse range of scientific sessions covering skin biology and pathologies (e.g.  sensitive skin, atopic dermatitis) and new directions in skin delivery with focus on formulations (e.g. nanoformulations), strategies (e.g. waterless formulations) and technologies (e.g. micro-needling). I was most interested in the session on sustainability.

As a result, I met many academics and professionals from different countries with similar research interests such as dermal delivery and new approaches related to this topic.

Overall, attending the 6th Symposium of Skin and Formulations has shaped the direction of my research. I am truly grateful for the generous PhaNuSpo Travel Grant, which helped to cover my travel expenses for my research visit between 2 and 3 October 2023.