| Natural functional ingredients in cosmetics contain a wealth of active components, however, these materials often suffer from low bioavailability, poor solubility, and instability. For instance, high molecular weight can hinder transdermal absorption, or low water/oil solubility can complicate their incorporation into formulations. Consequently, innovative formulation technologies are essential to enhance their performance and broaden their application range. Molecular assembly is a complex process involving non-covalent interactions. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, and van der Waals forces drive the orderly self-assembly of various structural molecules. By modifying cosmetic functional ingredients through molecular assembly techniques such as supramolecular assembly, liposome encapsulation, and nanoemulsion wrapping, these ingredients can achieve benefits such as enhanced solubility, improved transdermal absorption, and increased bioavailability. Thus, molecular assembly technology offers promising solutions for the low utilization and limited incorporation of functional ingredients in cosmetics. Currently, there is a lack of systematic introductions and summaries of advancements regarding the modification of cosmetic functional ingredients using these techniques. In light of this, this paper reviews the advantages and research progress of molecular assembly technologies, including supramolecular assembly, liposome encapsulation, and nanoemulsion wrapping, in the modification of cosmetic ingredients, aiming to provide references for the development of multifunctional cosmetics. |