Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Foam

A foamable pharmaceutical or cosmetic carrier suitable for topical or mucosal administration, comprising:

• (a) a foamable emulsion composition comprising:
• about 5% to about 75% by weight of the composition of a liquid, hydrophobic solvent comprising a volatile silicone oil and an emollient, wherein the volatile silicone oil is in an amount of at least 2% by weight of the composition;
• about 25% to about 95% by weight of the composition of water;
• about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a foam adjuvant agent selected from the group consisting of cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, arachidyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, 1-triacontanol (C30), a fatty alcohol having a carbon chain comprising between 31 and 50 carbon atoms, a fatty alcohol derived from beeswax, erucyl alcohol, tetracosanol, hexacosanol, heptacosanol, octacosanol, triacontanol, hexadecanoic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, octacosanoic acid, a fatty acid having a carbon chain comprising between 30 and 50 carbon atoms, 12-hydroxy stearic acid, and mixtures of any two or more thereof;
• about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a surface active agent, wherein said surface active agent comprises a non-ionic surface active agent, or a mixture of a non-ionic surfactant and an ionic surfactant wherein the ratio of the non-ionic surface active agent to the ionic surface active agent is greater than 6:1;
• and
• about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition of a water gelling agent selected from the group consisting of a naturally-occurring polymeric material, a starch, a chemically modified starch, a cellulose ether, a guar gum, a chemically modified guar gum, soluble starch, a cationic cellulose, and mixtures of any two or more thereof;
• and
• (b) a liquefied or compressed gas propellant selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon propellant, a fluorocarbon propellant, and mixtures thereof;
• wherein the emulsion composition includes less than about 7.5% by weight of short chain aliphatic alcohols;
• wherein the carrier is housed in a container, and upon release from the container the carrier forms a breakable foam that collapses upon application of shear force;
• and
• wherein the combined amount of foam adjuvant agent, surface active agent, and water gelling agent is less than about 8% (w/w).