Trends of Laponite® Clay Mineral as an Excipient in Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Medical Devices: Patent Analysis

Abstract

Purpose

This patent-based systematic review investigates the scientific and technological trends involving Laponite®, a synthetic clay mineral composed of disc-shaped nanoparticles. Due to its rheological, structural, and biocompatible properties, Laponite® has gained attention as a versatile excipient in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and medical device formulations.

Methods

Patent data were retrieved from The Lens database using the terms “laponite”, “formulation”, “pharmaceutical composition”, “pharmaceutical form”, “drug” and “medicine”. The search covered the period from September 2000 to 2023, yielding 1,134 patent documents. From these, 100 of the most relevant patents were selected for in-depth technical analysis. Data were classified according to jurisdictions, CPC codes, applicants, inventors, and claimed uses.

Results

The leading jurisdictions were WIPO, the United States and Europe. The most cited CPC codes were C08K3/346, B82Y30/00 and A61L15/60. Top applicants included Procter & Gamble, ExxonMobil Chemical Patents, and LG Chem Ltd. Laponite ® was predominantly applied as a gelling agent, thickener, binder, stabilizer, and drug release carrier. Its multifunctionality supports diverse formulation strategies in the biomedical field.

Conclusion

Laponite® is a key technological enabler in advanced formulations. Its expanding patent landscape reflects growing scientific and industrial interest in its applications for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biofunctional materials.

Introduction

Patent analysis serves as a vital indicator of technological trends and innovation, particularly in the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry [1,2,3,4,5]. By safeguarding R&D investments, patents drive the continuous pursuit of advanced therapeutic solutions. Recently, an increasing number of these patents and applications have focused on nanoscale materials, reflecting their growing relevance in developing innovative pharmaceuticals. These materials, often referred to as biomaterials, are being explored in a wide range of applications, including drug delivery systems, diagnostic kits, biosensors, imaging devices, implant materials, and bone regeneration strategies [6,7,8,9,10,11,12].

In this context, synthetic layered silicates, notably Laponite®, have emerged as highly promising candidates for biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery and biodegradable systems, due to their high surface area and biocompatibility. Recent reviews have emphasized their potential in controlled release systems and as components of biodegradable materials [13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]. Laponite®, a synthetic layered clay mineral from the 2:1 phyllosilicate group. Structurally, it consists of an octahedral sheet of magnesium sandwiched between two tetrahedral sheets of silicon [18, 25, 26]. Its idealized structural formula, Na₀.₇[(Mg₅.₅Li₀.₃)Si₈O₂₀(OH)₄], reflects the isomorphic substitution in the unit cell and is repeated approximately 2000 times in two dimensions, producing a disc-shaped nanostructure with a diameter of about 25 nm and a thickness of 0.92 nm [27].

This nanoclay exhibits a dual surface charge. The basal surfaces are negatively charged due to isomorphic substitution of Mg2⁺ with Li⁺ in the octahedral layer, while the interlayer space contains Na⁺ ions that counterbalance the charge [28]. Its high specific surface area (< 700 m2/g) enables strong interactions with a variety of molecules, including drugs, proteins, polymers, and extracellular vesicles, through mechanisms such as cation exchange, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals interactions [29].

Laponite® was first synthesized and trademarked in the early 1960 s by BYK Additives Ltd for use as a rheological additive in pigment dispersions [30]. It is manufactured via a co-precipitation method using magnesium and lithium sources (e.g., sodium silicate) in a basic medium. Since then, Laponite® has been widely employed in numerous industrial sectors and has become the subject of extensive scientific and technological investigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical field [29, 31,32,33].

For example, Laponite® can function as a rheology modifier due to its colloidal and thixotropic properties, significantly influencing the flow and deformation behavior of formulations [34,35,36,37]. Furthermore, its layered structure allows for a range of physicochemical interactions with drugs, such as intercalation, complexation, and polymer interactions, making it an ideal excipient for controlled drug release and other biomedical applications [18, 27, 38, 39].

Academic reviews have already provided a solid foundation on the physicochemical properties of Laponite®, its charge anisotropy, colloidal and thixotropic behavior, interaction mechanisms with drugs and biomacromolecules, and its applications in controlled release systems, biodegradable materials, hydrogels, and other biomedical platforms [18, 39]. However, such reviews do not typically deliver a structured overview of the technological protection landscape, including the jurisdictions in which inventions are being pursued, the CPC/IPC classes that define the main technological domains, the leading applicants/assignees, or a synthesis of how Laponite® is functionally claimed in patent documents. Therefore, a patent landscape analysis is necessary to complement the academic literature by revealing not only what is known about Laponite® scientifically, but also how, where, and by whom this knowledge is being translated into protected technological solutions [40]. Given this relevance, a patent landscape and qualitative patent-content analysis represents an effective method for identifying major innovations and trends involving Laponite® in the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the technological landscape of Laponite® by analyzing patents related to its use in pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, and medical devices over the past 23 years.

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de Macêdo, L.F., da Costa, M.C.V., do Nascimento, J.L. et al. Trends of Laponite® Clay Mineral as an Excipient in Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Medical Devices: Patent Analysis. J Pharm Innov 22, 163 (2027). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12247-026-11017-8