The first goal of this work was the preparation of a water-in-oil microemulsion from components generally regarded as safe for use in humans. Stable formulations were prepared using isopropyl myristate (IPM), ethyl oleate (EO), and medium chain
triglycerides (MCT) as the continuous phase. Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS), and sorbitan monooleate (SMO) were used as surfactants. Tetraglycol (TG), and n-butanol were used as co-surfactants in some of the formulations. Ternary phase diagrams were prepared for the systems under study. DOSS-IPM solutions were found to form stable
microemulsions over a wide composition range. Hence, IPM/DOSS/
water systems were selected for further studies. The