the inventive compositions contain , as a first essential ingredient , 25 - oh - d 3 having formula i : ## str1 ## the composition according to the invention includes an effective amount of 25 - oh - d 3 to induce differentiation . the particular amount of 25 - oh - d 3 depends on the identity of other ingredients in a final composition and the condition of the skin . in general , the amount of 25 - oh - d 3 is in the range of from about 0 . 000001 % to about 10 % by weight of the composition . preferably , in order to lower cost and maximize the synergistic effect , the amount of 25 - oh - d 3 is in the range of from about 0 . 00001 to about 1 %, most preferably in the range of from 0 . 00001 to 0 . 1 %. the second essential ingredient of the inventive compositions is a lipid . the lipid component is chosen from ceramides , pseudoceramides , neoceramides and mixtures thereof . ceramides are preferably selected from ceramides having the general structure ( ii ): ## str2 ## where a represents -- ch 2 --; -- chor 5 --; -- ch ═ ch -- or -- choy --; r represents a subgroup ( 2 ) or a linear or branched saturated or unsaturated , aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 50 carbon atoms which may contain a hydroxyl group : r 1 represents a linear or branched , saturated or unsaturated , hydroxylated or non - hydroxylated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 8 to 28 carbon atoms or a phenyl group ; r 2 , r 3 and r 5 individually represent h , a phosphate group or a sulphate group ; r 4 represents h , a phosphate group , a sulphate group or a sugar group ; y represents h or a residue of a c 1 - 22 fatty acid having the general structure ( 3 ): ## str3 ## where z is -- oh or an ether oxygen ; z is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 4 . further identification of ceramide structures may be found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 950 , 688 ( bowser et al . ), herein incorporated by reference . ceramides having the general structure ( ii ) are naturally occurring and can be isolated from a suitable plant source or from animal tissue such as pig skin or neural tissue . ceramides can also be synthesized according to procedures described in one of the following references : shoyama , y . et al ., journal of lipid res ., vol . 19 , ( 1978 ), pp . 250 - 258 . hino , t . et al ., journal of chem . soc . parkin . tran . j . ( 1986 ), p . 1687 . junana , r . et al ., hel . chem . acta , vol . 69 ( 1986 ), p . 368 . kiso , m . et al ., j . carbohydrate chem ., vol . 5 , ( 1986 ), p . 93 . kolke , k . et al ., carbohyd . res ., vol . 158 , ( 1986 ), p . 113 . ceramides may also be mixtures of different stereo isomers . preferred examples of ceramides are short to medium chain ceramides , ceramide 2 and ceramide 3 , as depicted by formulae k and l below . most preferred , in order to attain the synergy with 25 - oh - d 3 are short chain ceramides wherein a ═ ch 2 or choh or ch ═ ch , r contains from 1 to 10 carbon atoms , m = 0 , r 4 is hydrogen , r 3 is hydrogen , r 1 contains from 8 to20 carbon atoms . pseudoceramides ( i . e ., synthetic ceramide - like structures ) are preferably selected from pseudoceramides having the general structure ( iii ): ## str4 ## where b represents -- och 2 -- or -- chchoh or -- ch 2 ; r 6 represents a linear or branched , saturated or unsaturated , hydroxylated or non - hydroxylated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 49 carbon atoms or the subgroup ( 2 ) as described above ; r 7 represents a linear or branched , saturated or unsaturated , hydroxylated or non - hydroxylated hydrocarbon group having from 8 to 28 carbon atoms or a phenyl group ; r 8 represents h , or a subgroup --( ch 2 ) c r 10 , or a subgroup having the structure ( 4 ), where c is an integer of from 1 to 6 , r 10 is -- oh or a phosphate group , or a sulfate group , or a sugar group ; ## str5 ## where x 1 , x 2 and x 3 each individually represent h , a c 1 - 5 alkyl or a c 1 - 5 hydroxyalkyl ; d is 0 or an integer of from 1 to 4 ; r 9 represents h , a phosphate group , a sulphate group or a sugar group . pseudoceramides may be synthesized according to the procedures described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 778 , 823 or u . s . pat . no . 5 , 198 , 210 , or u . s . pat . no . 5 , 206 , 020 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein . preferably , in order to attain synergy and minimize cost , pseudoceramides are employed wherein r 6 contains from 1 to 16 carbon atoms . most preferably , r 6 contains from 1 to 10 carbon atoms , m = 0 , r 8 is ch 2 ch 2 oh , r 9 is hydrogen , b is -- och 2 or ch 2 , and r 7 contains from 10 to 22 carbon atoms . neoceramides , like pseudoceramides , are synthetic ceramide - like structures . neoceramides , however , contain more localized polar groups than pseudoceramides . neoceramides are selected from neoceramides having the general structure ( iv ). ## str6 ## wherein r 11 is a linear or branched , saturated , or unsaturated , aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 50 carbon atoms which may contain a hydroxy group , ester group and / or an ether group ; r 12 is a linear branched , saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 7 to 48 carbon atoms ; r 13 and r 14 are the same or different and each is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a sulfate group , a phosphate group , or a sugar group . the neoceramide can be prepared in two steps : first , neosphingosine of formula ( v ) is prepared by reacting halopropanediol or glycidol with an alkylamine ( r 12 nh 2 ). in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the alkylamine is preferably a primary amine and it contains from 1 to 48 , preferably from 7 to 26 , most preferably from 11 to 18 carbon atoms . ## str7 ## when glycidol is employed , 0 . 8 - 2 . 0 equivalents , preferably 1 . 0 equivalent , of glycidol is added , slowly to the stirring mix of one equivalent of the alkylamine in a solvent . suitable solvents include but are not limited to ethanol , methanol , isopropanol or water ; the reaction may also be performed neat . the mixture is preferably heated , preferably from 25 °- 100 ° c ., for a sufficient time , e . g . 1 - 48 hours . after the completion of the reaction , neosphingosine is isolated . when halopropanediol ( one equivalent ) is employed , suitable halopropanediols include but are not limited to bromopropanediol , chloropropanediol , 3 - tosylpropanediol and iodopropanediol , is reacted with preferably one equivalent of alkylamine in presence of 1 - 3 equivalent of base ( e . g ., potassium carbonate , etc .,) in a solvent . the same solvent may be employed as described above . a similar work up is employed to isolate neosphingosine of formula v . ## str8 ## the resulting neosphingosine of formula v may be converted into a neoceramide of formula iv by reacting the neosphingosine with an acyl chloride , acyl anhydride , fatty acid ( with or without catalyst ) or fatty acid ester . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , r 11 is preferably a primary alkyl group containing from 1 to 16 , most preferably from 1 to 10 carbons atoms , r 12 contains from 7 to 24 carbon atoms , r 13 is hydrogen and r 14 is hydrogen . specific preferred examples of ceramides , pseudoceramides and neoceramides are represented by the following formulae below : ## str9 ## the amount of the lipid material in the composition is in the range of from about 0 . 0001 % to about 50 % by weight of the composition , preferably from about 0 . 0001 % to about 10 %, most preferably from about 0 . 0001 % to about 5 %. the composition according to the invention also comprises a cosmetically acceptable vehicle to act as a dilutant , dispersant or carrier for the active components in the composition , so as to facilitate their distribution when the composition is applied to the skin , hair and / or nails . vehicles other than water can include liquid or solid emollients , solvents , humectants , thickeners and powders , an especially preferred nonaqueous carrier is a polydimethyl siloxane and / or a polydimethyl phenyl siloxane . silicones of this invention may be those with viscosities ranging anywhere from about 10 to 10 , 000 , 000 centistokes at 25 ° c . especially desirable are mixtures of low and high viscosity silicones . these silicones are available from the general electric company under trademarks vicasil , se and sf and from the dow corning company under the 200 and 550 series . amounts of silicone which can be utilized in the compositions of this invention range anywhere from 5 to 95 %, preferably from 25 to 90 % by weight of the composition . the cosmetically acceptable i vehicle will usually form from 5 to 99 . 9 %, preferably from 25 to 80 % by weight of the emulsion , and can , in the absence of other cosmetic adjuncts , form the balance of the composition . an oil or oily material may be present , together with an emulsifier to provide either a water - in - oil emulsion or an oil , in - water emulsion , depending largely on the average hydrophilic - lipophilic balance ( hlb ) of the emulsifier employed . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the inventive compositions further include at least one of the following ingredients which are particularly effective in combination with 25 - oh - d 3 and the lipid component : 1 . hydroxyacids -- enhance proliferation and increases ceramide biosynthesis in keratinocytes , increase epidermal thickness , and increase desquamation of normal skin resulting in smoother , younger looking skin . the hydroxy acid can be chosen from α - hydroxy acids , β - hydroxyacids , other hydroxycarboxylic acids ( e . g ., dihydroxycarboxylic acid , hydroxydicarboxylic , hydroxytricarboxylic ) and mixtures thereof or combination of their stereoisomers ( dl , d or l ). preferably the hydroxy acid ( ii ) is chosen from α - hydroxy acids having the general structure ( 13 ): ## str10 ## where m is h -- or ch 3 ( c f h g ) h --, even more preferably the hydroxy acid is chosen from 2 - hydroxyoctanoic acid , hydroxylauric lactic acid , and glycolic acid , and mixtures thereof . when stereo isomers exist , l - isomer is most preferred . the keto acids can be chosen from α - keto acids , β - keto acids and mixtures thereof . preferably the amount of the hydroxy acid component ( ii ) present in the composition according to the invention is from 0 . 01 to 20 %, more preferably from 0 . 05 to 10 % and most preferably from 0 . 1 to 3 % by weight . 2 . retinoids -- enhances keratinocyte proliferation in vitro , increases epidermal thickness and increases collagen synthesis by dermal fibroblasts . this results in protection from sun damage and smoothing of wrinkled skin . the term &# 34 ; retinoids &# 34 ; as used herein includes retinoic acid , retinol , retinal and retinol esters . included in the term &# 34 ; retinoic acid &# 34 ; are 13 - cis retinoic acid and all - trans retinoic acid . 3 . steroid hormones -- inhibits inflammation and hyperproliferation of the epidermis . this results in normalization of hypersensitive skin conditions . examples of steroid hormones include but are not limited to glucocorticoids , androgens and estrogens . 4 . essential fatty acids ( efa )-- essential for the plasma membrane formation of all cells , in keratinocytes efa deficiency makes cells hyperproliferative . supplementation of efa corrects this . efas also enhance lipid biosynthesis of epidermis and provide lipids for the barrier formation of the epidermis . the essential fatty acids are preferably chosen from linoleic acid , γ - linolenic acid , homo - γ - iinolenic aid , columbinic acid , eicosa -( n - 6 , 9 , 13 )- trienoic acid , arachidonic acid , γ - iinolenic acid , timnodonic acid , hexaenoic acid and mixtures thereof . 5 . lipid precursors -- precursors of mature lipids ( mevalonic acid for cholesterol , phytosphingosine and sphingosine for ceramides and sphingolipids ) supplied to the medium of keratinocytes in culture are incorporated into the mature lipids by the cells . topically applied lipid precursors are also taken up by the skin cells and incorporated into mature barrier lipids . this would result in a better - looking skin with superior barrier function . examples of suitable lipid precursors include but are not limited to mevalonic acid , tetracetyl phytosphingosine , sphingosine , sphinganine and ω - hydroxy fatty acids . 6 . phosphatidic acid , lysophosphotidic acid and inositol phosphates : these lipid molecules are involved in transduction of signals for growth and differentiation in keratinocytes . they play an important role in mediating the actions of cytokines and other growth factors within the skin cells . these molecules will potentially stimulate the turnover rate of the skin resulting in a younger looking skin . surfactants , which are also sometimes designated as emulsifiers , may be incorporated into the cosmetic compositions of the present invention . surfactants can comprise anywhere from about 0 . 5 to about 30 %, preferably from about 1 to about 15 % by weight of the total composition . surfactants may be cationic , nonionic , anionic , or amphoteric in nature and combinations thereof may be employed . illustrative of the nonionic surfactants are alkoxylated compounds based upon fatty alcohols , fatty acids and sorbitan . these materials are available , for instance , from the shell chemical company under the &# 34 ; neodol &# 34 ; designation . copolymers of polyoxypropylene - polyoxyethylene , available under the pluronic trademark sold by the basf corporation , are sometimes also useful . alkyl polyglycosides available from the henkel corporation similarly can be utilized for the purposes of this invention . anionic - type surfactants may include fatty acid soaps , sodium lauryl sulphate , sodium lauryl ether sulphate , alkyl benzene sulphonate , mono and / or dialkyl phosphates and sodium fatty acyl isethionate . amphoteric surfactants include such materials as dialkylamine oxide and various types of betains ( such as cocoamido propyl betaine ). emollients are often incorporated into cosmetic compositions of the present invention . levels of such emollients may range from about 0 . 5 to about 50 %, preferably between about 5 and 30 % by weight of the total composition . emollients may be classified under such general chemical categories as esters , fatty acids and alcohols , polyols and hydrocarbons . esters may be mono - or di - esters . acceptable examples of fatty di - esters include dibutyl adipate , diethyl sebacate , diisopropyl dimerate , and dioctyl succinate . acceptable branched chain fatty esters include 2 - ethyl - hexyl myristate , isopropyl stearate and isostearyl palmitate . acceptable tribasic acid esters include triisopropyl trilinoleate and trilauryl citrate . acceptable straight chain fatty esters include lauryl palmirate , myristyl lactate , oleyl eurcate and stearyl oleate . preferred esters include coco - caprylate / caprate ( a blend of coco - caprylate and coco - caprate ), propylene glycol myristyl ether acetate , diisopropyl adipate and cetyl octanoate . suitable fatty alcohols and acids include those compounds having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms . especially preferred are such compounds such as cetyl , myristyl , palmitic and stearyl alcohols and acids . among the polyols which may serve as emollients are linear and branched chain alkyl polyhydroxyl compounds , for example , propylene glycol , sorbitol and glycerin are preferred . also useful may be polymeric polyols such as polypropylene glycol and polyethylene glycol . exemplary hydrocarbons which may serve as emollients are those having hydrocarbon chains anywhere from 12 to 30 carbon atoms . specific examples include mineral oil , petroleum jelly , squalene and isoparaffins . another category of functional ingredients within the cosmetic compositions of the present invention are thickeners . a thickener will usually be present in amounts anywhere from 0 . 1 to 20 % by weight , preferably from about 0 . 5 to 10 % by weight of the composition . exemplary thickeners are cross - linked polyacrylate materials available under the trademark carbopol from the b . f . goodrich company . gums may be employed such as xanthan , carrageenan , gelatin , karaya , pectin and locust beans gum . under certain circumstances the thickening function may be accomplished by a material also serving as a silicone or emollient . for instance , silicone gums in excess of 10 centistokes and esters such as glycerol stearate have dual . functionality . various types of active ingredients may be present in cosmetic compositions of the present invention . actives are defined as skin or hair benefit agents other than emollients and other than ingredients that merely improve the physical characteristics of the composition . although not limited to this category , general examples include sunscreens , tanning agents , skin anti - wrinkling agents , anti - dandruff agents , anti - acne agents and hair growth stimulants . sunscreens include those materials commonly employed to block ultraviolet light . illustrative compounds are the derivatives of paba , cinnamate and salicylate . for example , octyl methoxycinnamate and 2 - hydroxy - 4 - methoxy benzophenone ( also known as oxybenzone ) can be used . octyl methoxycinnamate and 2 - hydroxy - 4 - methoxy benzophenone are commercially available under the trademarks , parsol mcx and benzophenone - 3 , respectively . the exact amount of sunscreen employed in the emulsions can vary depending upon the degree of protection desired from the sun &# 39 ; s uv radiation . additional vitamins may also be included in the compositions of the present invention . especially preferred is vitamin a palmitate ( retinyl palmitate ) and vitamin e linoleate ( tocopheryl linoleate ). other esters of vitamins a and e may also be utilized . many cosmetic compositions , especially those containing water , must be protected against the growth of potentially harmful microorganisms . preservatives are , therefore , necessary . suitable preservatives include alkyl esters of p - hydroxybenzoic acid , hydantoin derivatives , propionate salts , and a variety of quaternary ammonium compounds , particularly preferred preservatives of this invention are methyl paraben , propyl paraben , imidazolidinyl urea , sodium dehydroxyacetate and benzyl alcohol . preservatives will usually be employed in amounts ranging from about 0 . 5 % to 2 % by weight of the composition . powders may be incorporated into the cosmetic composition of the invention . these powders include chalk , talc , fullers earth , kaolin , starch , smectites clays , chemically modified magnesium aluminum silicate , organically modified montmorillonite clay , hydrated aluminum silicate , fumed silica , aluminum starch octenyl succinate and mixtures thereof . other adjunct minor components may also be incorporated into the cosmetic compositions . these ingredients may include coloring agents , opacifiers and perfumes . amounts of these materials may range anywhere from 0 . 001 up to 20 % by weight of the composition . the composition according to the invention is intended primarily as a product for topical application to human skin , especially as an agent for reducing the permeability to water of the skin , particularly when the skin is dry or damaged , in order to reduce moisture loss and generally to enhance the quality and flexibility of skin . the composition can also be applied to hair and nails . in use , a small quantity of the composition , for example from 1 to 5 ml , is applied to exposed areas of the skin , from a suitable container or applicator and , if necessary , it is then spread over and / or rubbed into the skin using the hand or fingers or a suitable device . the topical skin and / or hair treatment composition of the invention can be formulated as a lotion having a viscosity of from 4 , 000 to 10 , 000 mpas , a fluid cream having a viscosity of from 10 , 000 to 20 , 000 mpas or a cream having a viscosity of from 20 , 000 to 100 , 000 mpas or above . the composition can be packaged in a suitable container to suit its viscosity and intended use by the consumer . for example , a lotion or fluid cream can be packaged in a bottle or a roll - ball applicator or a propellant - driven aerosol device or a container fitted with a pump suitable for finger operation . when the composition is a cream , it can simply be stored in a non - deformable bottle or squeeze container , such as a tube or a lidded jar . the invention accordingly also provides a closed container containing a cosmetically acceptable composition as herein defined . the composition may also be included in capsules such as those described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 063 , 507 , incorporated by reference herein . melting points were taken on a mel - temp in ° c . and are uncorrected . proton magnetic resonance ( 1 h nmr ) spectra were recorded on a bruker 200 mhz ft spectrometer , varian 300 mhz ft nmr , or varian t - 60 spectrometer . carbon magnetic resonance spectra ( 13 c nmr ) were recorded on a bruker 200 ft ( 50 mhz ) spectrometer or varian 300 mhz ft nmr . proton and carbon chemical shifts are reported in parts per million downfield from tetramethylsilane or other silylated standard ( e . g ., trimethylsilypropionate sodium salt ) as an internal standard . spin multiplicities are indicated as follows : s ( singlet ), d ( doublet ), t ( triplet ), q ( quartet ), m ( multiplet ), or br ( broad ). the deuterated nmr solvents contained 99 . 0 - 99 . 8 % deuterium in the indicated position and were purchased from the cambridge isotopes laboratories . infrared spectra ( ir ) were recorded on a perkin - elmer model 298 spectrometer and a digilab fs 60a ftir spectrometer using a nacl cell or kbr solid . peak intensities are listed as vs ( very strong ), s ( strong ), m ( medium ), w ( weak ), or br ( broad ) and peak positions are represented in cm - 1 . mass spectroscopy were obtained on a finnigan mat ssq710 gc / ms and on a lee scientific series 600 sfc / gc connected to a finnigan mat tsq70b tandem instrument . dodecylamine ( 25 . 02 g , 0 . 13 moles ) was heated at 85 ° c ., and glycidol ( 10 g , 0 . 13 moles ) was added dropwise . the reaction was heated under nitrogen for 3 hours then allowed to stir overnight . a white solid was recovered ( crude yield = 33 . 27 g ), and the solid was recrystallized in hot hexane to give pure neosphingosine ( yield = 10 . 86 g ). ir ( nujol film , cm - 1 ): 3340 ( s ), 3280 ( m ), 3000 - 2860 ( br ), 1460 ( s ), 1385 ( m ) 1 h nmr ( 200mhz , warm cdcl 3 with tms ): δ3 . 7 ( br . m , 3h ), 3 . 1 ( br s , 3h ), 2 . 6 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 5 ( br m , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( br . s , 18h ), 0 . 85 ( br t , 3h ) 13 c nmr ( 50 mhz , warm cdcl 3 with tms ): ppm 69 . 9 , 65 . 8 , 52 . 5 , 50 . 0 , 31 . 8 , 30 . 1 , 29 . 5 , 29 . 2 , 27 . 2 , 22 . 5 , 13 . 9 hexadecylamine ( 5 . 00 g , 0 . 024 moles ) was dissolved in absolute ethanol , and glycidol ( 3 . 07 g , 0 . 041 moles ) was added dropwise . the reaction was refluxed under nitrogen for 4 hours then allowed to stir overnight . after 22 hours of refluxing , the reaction was stopped and a white solid formed during the cooling stage . the solid was recovered and recrystallized in hot hexane . ( yield = 2 . 02g ) ir ( nujol film , cm - 1 ): 3320 ( br . s ), 2920 ( s ), 2860 ( s ), 1460 ( s ), 1385 s 1 h nmr ( 200 mhz , warm cdcl 3 with tms ): δ3 . 7 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 7 ( br . s ., 7h ), 1 . 5 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( br s , 26h ), 0 . 85 ( t , 3h ) 13 c nmr ( 50 mhz , warm cdcl 3 with tms ): ppm 69 . 8 , 65 . 8 , 52 . 5 , 50 . 1 , 31 . 8 , 30 . 1 , 29 . 6 , 29 . 2 , 27 . 2 , 22 . 6 , 13 . 9 n -( 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl )- hexadecylamine ( 1 . 0 g , 3 . 2 mmoles ) and potassium hydroxide ( 0 . 01 g , 0 . 18 mmoles ) were heated to 85 ° c . under vacuum and methyl - 2 - hydroxyoctanoate ( 0 . 55 g , 3 . 2 mmoles ) was added dropwise to the reaction . the reaction was heated under vacuum for 6 hours . a waxy off white solid was obtained ( crude yield = 1 , 39 g ), and the waxy solid further purified by recrystallization in hot hexane . ( yield = 0 . 88g ). ir ( nujol film , cm - 1 ): 3410 ( s ), 3360 ( s ), 2940 ( vs ), 2880 ( vs ), 1615 ( s ), 1480 ( s ), 1390 ( m ) 1 h nmr ( 200 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): δ2 . 6 - 4 . 3 ( br m , 11h ), 1 . 55 ( br m , 4h ), 1 . 25 ( br s , 34h ), 0 . 88 ( br t , 6h ) 13 c nmr ( 50 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): ppm 176 . 36 , 70 . 62 , 68 . 25 , 62 . 61 , 49 . 93 , 48 . 79 , 35 . 50 , 31 . 89 , 31 . 68 , 30 . 06 , 29 . 88 , 29 . 66 , 29 . 33 , 28 . 99 , 27 . 25 , 22 . 66 , 22 . 56 , 14 . 08 . n -( 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl )- dodecylamine ( 1 . 0 g , 3 . 9 mmoles ) and potassium hydroxide ( 0 . 01 g , 0 . 18 mmoles ) were heated to 85 ° c . under vacuum and methyl - 2 - hydroxyoctanoate ( 0 . 67 g , 3 . 9 mmoles ) was added dropwise to the reaction . the reaction was heated under vacuum for 5 hours . a waxy off white solid was obtained ( crude yield = 1 . 38 g ), and the waxy solid was recrystallized in hot hexane . ( yield = 0 . 44 g ). ir ( nujol film , cm - 1 ): 3410 ( br . s ), 3340 ( hr . s ), 2920 ( s ), 2860 ( s ), 1610 ( m ), 1460 ( m ) 1 h nmr ( 200 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): δ4 . 3 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 5 ( m , 10h ), 2 . 6 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( br s , 28h ), 0 . 80 ( br s , 6h ) 13 c nmr ( 50 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): ppm 176 . 12 , 70 . 45 , 68 . 21 , 63 . 69 , 49 . 89 , 48 . 80 , 35 . 38 , 31 . 84 , 31 . 66 , 29 . 58 , 29 . 49 , 29 . 29 , 28 . 97 , 28 . 85 , 27 . 23 , 26 . 70 , 25 . 12 , 22 . 61 , 22 . 53 , 14 . 04 acetyl chloride ( 1 . 15g . 14 . 8 mmoles ) was added dropwise to a reactor containing n -( 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl )- hexadecylamine ( 1 . 5 g , 4 . 3 mmoles ) in 3 ml of chloroform . the reaction was stirred for 16 hours at room temperature . when the reaction was completed , the , mixture was concentrated , ethanol and water was added , and the ph of the reaction was adjusted to 14 . this mixture was extracted with chloroform , and organic layer was collected and concentrated . the sample was purified on a silica column chromatography to give 0 . 4 g of product . 1 h nmr ( 200 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): δ3 . 8 ( br . s , 2h ), 3 . 4 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 3 ( br . m , 3h ), 2 . 2 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 6 ( br . s , 2h ), 1 . 4 ( br . s , 26h ), 0 . 88 ( br t , 3h ) 13 c nmr ( 50 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): ppm 172 . 5 , 70 . 77 , 63 . 69 , 50 . 1 , 48 . 76 , 31 . 87 , 29 . 64 , 29 . 51 , 29 . 31 , 28 . 61 , 26 . 74 , 22 . 62 , 21 . 18 , 14 . 06 . hexanoyl chloride ( 2 . 65g , 19 . 7 mmoles ) was added dropwise to a reactor containing n -( 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl )- hexadecylamine ( 2 . 65g , 19 . 7 mmoles ) in 8 ml of chloroform . the reaction was stirred for 16 hours at room temperature . when the reaction was completed , the mixture was concentrated , ethanol and water was added , and the ph of the reaction was adjusted to 14 . this mixture was extracted with chloroform , and organic layer was collected and concentrated . the crude sample was purified on silica column chromatography to give 1 . 56 g of product . 1 h nmr ( 200 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): δ3 . 8 ( br . s , 2h ), 3 . 4 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 3 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 6 ( br . m , 4h ), 1 . 4 ( br . s , 30h ), 0 . 9 ( br t , 6h ) 13 c nmr ( 50 mhz , cdcl 3 with tms ): ppm 175 . 5 , 70 . 9 , 63 . 5 , 49 . 8 , 49 . 1 , 32 . 9 , 31 . 9 , 31 . 6 , 29 . 6 , 29 . 5 , 29 . 3 , 28 . 9 , 26 . 7 , 25 . 11 , 22 . 6 , 22 . 43 , 14 . 06 , 13 . 9 . methodology used for determining the rate of dna synthesis in keratinocytes after treatment with various actives 1 . normal human keratinocytes isolated from neonatal foreskins by trypsin treatment were grown in dme medium / 10 % fetal calf serum in the presence of irradiated 3t3 mouse fibroblasts for establishing dividing keratinocyte colonies . keratinocytes were grown under the above condition until their third passage . 2 . for the experiments , third passage keratinocytes were plated into a serum - free keratinocyte growth medium ( kgm ; obtained from clonetics corporation , san diego , calif .) containing 0 . 15 mm calcium . 20 , 000 to 30 , 000 cells were plated into each well of 24 well cell culture plates and grown for 5 days , until the cells reach about 80 % confluence . 3 . medium was changed to fresh medium and the various test materials were added to the medium from an ethanolic stock solution ( 10 a . m .). the final ethanol concentration in the cultures was kept below 0 . 2 %. control cultures received no tested material but were dosed with 0 . 2 % ethanol . each compound or combination was tested in three separate wells . by 4 p . m ., 1 uci of 3 h - thymidine ( amersham corp ., sp activity 40 ci / mmol ) was added to the 1 ml medium in each well . the cells were incubated overnight and 24 hours later ( 10 a . m . next day ) the amount of 3 h - thymidine associated with the cellular dna of keratinocytes was assessed as described below . 4 . the medium was aspirated , and the wells washed with 1 ml phosphate - buffered saline . the dna and proteins of the cells in the plate were then precipitated by adding 1 ml of ice - cold 10 % trichloroacetic acid ( tca ). the plates were left on ice for 30 minutes to complete the precipitation process . tca was then aspirated and each well was then washed four times with 5 % tca . the plates were then dried on a filter pad and the cells in the wells were dissolved in 0 . 5 ml of 0 . 1n sodium hydroxide . the sodium hydroxide was then neutralized using 0 . 1n hydrochloric acid and the solution ( 1 ml total volume ) was then transferred to a scintillation vial . 100 ul samples from each vial were used for protein assay using bca protein assay reagent obtained from pierce chemical company . 8 ml of a scintillation fluid ( ecolume ) was added to the rest of the solution in the vial , and the vials were counted in a scintillation counter to determine the amount of radioactivity in each vial . the dna synthesis rate was then calculated as cpm 3 h thymidine incorporated into total cellular dna / microgram of cell protein for each individual well . mean and standard deviation for each group was also calculated . these numbers were also expressed as percent of control wells which did not receive any vitamin d 3 or vitamin d 3 metabolites or lipid . 5 . all lipids listed in tables 1 - 5 below were synthesized in - house . 25 - oh - d 3 and 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 were obtained from hoffman la roche . vitamin d 3 was obtained from sigma . 6 . the results that were obtained are summarized in tables 1 - 5 below . table 1__________________________________________________________________________effect of 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 or 1 . 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 alone on dnasynthesis of keratinocytesconcentration 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 1 , 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 1 , 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 1 , 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 ( nm ) test 1 test 2 test 3 test 1 test 2 test 3__________________________________________________________________________ 0 100 ± 4 . 7 100 ± 2 . 1 100 ± 11 . 4 100 ± 4 . 7 100 ± 2 . 1 100 ± 11 . 4 1 99 . 3 ± 1 . 9 n . d . n . d . 115 . 3 ± 7 . 7 n . d . n . d . 10 97 . 2 ± 5 . 9 86 . 5 ± 9 . 0 95 . 2 ± 6 . 8 108 ± 8 . 7 91 . 9 ± 5 . 3 91 . 8 ± 4 . 5 100 86 . 5 ± 5 . 4 * 79 . 1 ± 2 . 6 * 88 . 5 ± 7 . 2 102 . 1 ± 16 . 7 86 . 0 ± 7 . 7 * 90 . 3 ± 9 . 51000 67 . 8 ± 5 . 9 * 78 . 9 ± 5 . 4 * n . d . 71 . 5 ± 2 . 9 * 56 . 3 ± 14 . 1 * n . d . __________________________________________________________________________ * statistically significant growth inhibition . n . d . = not determined as indicated by the results in table 1 , statistically significant cell growth inhibition by both 25 - oh - d 3 and 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 was consistently observed only at 1000 nm concentration , while cell growth inhibition was also observed at 100 nm for 25 - oh - d 3 in two experiments and 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 in one experiment . table 2______________________________________effect of coramide alone ( formula a ) on dnasynthesis of keratinocytesconcentration ( μm ) test 1 test 2 test 3______________________________________0 100 ± 4 . 7 100 ± 9 . 9 100 ± 11 . 40 . 3 n . d . n . d . 146 ± 211 . 0 115 . 1 ± 11 83 . 1 ± 6 n . d . 3 . 0 n . d . n . d . 112 ± 1310 . 0 105 ± 22 . 4 69 . 9 ± 10 * 66 . 0 ± 14 * ______________________________________ * statistically significant growth inhibition . n . d . = not determined the results in table 2 indicate that statistically significant growth inhibition of keratinocytes with a ceramide of formula a occurred only at the highest concentration of 10 μm ( 2 out of 3 experiments ). table 3______________________________________synergy between 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 and ceramide ( formula a )( data expressed as % of controls ) concentrationof 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 +( nm ) alone 1 μm ceramide 10 μm ceramide______________________________________ 1 100 ± 4 . 71 100 ± 9 . 62 100 ± 21 . 41 1 99 . 3 ± 1 . 91 78 . 76 ± 10 . 73 * 77 . 14 ± 7 . 76 * 10 97 . 2 ± 5 . 92 87 . 06 ± 4 . 65 * 56 . 94 ± 6 . 19 * 100 86 . 5 ± 5 . 47 66 . 81 ± 3 . 87 * 63 . 98 ± 10 . 98 * 1000 67 . 8 ± 5 . 92 66 . 04 ± 5 . 14 66 . 53 ± 4 . 49______________________________________ * indicates statistically significant growth inhibition compared to the inhibition of 25oh -- d . sub . 3 alone . the results in table 3 indicate that when a combination of 25 - oh - d 3 and a ceramide of formula a was employed , inhibition of keratinocyte growth was observed at substantially lower concentration of 25 - oh - d 3 ( 1 nm ) than when 25 - oh - d 3 was employed alone ( 100 - 1 , 000 nm ). table 4______________________________________synergy between ceramide ( formula a ) andvitamin d metabolitesvitamin d . sub . 3 or its ± 3 . 0 μm ceramidemetabolite no ceramide ( formula a ) ______________________________________ 0 ( ethanol vehicle only ) 100 ± 11 . 4 87 . 9 ± 0 . 8 10 nm vitamin d . sub . 3 96 . 4 ± 16 . 5 94 . 7 ± 9 . 9100 nm vitamin d . sub . 3 107 . 4 ± 8 . 1 91 . 3 ± 11 . 5 10 nm 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 95 . 3 ± 6 . 9 84 . 6 ± 11 . 5 * 100 nm 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 88 . 5 ± 7 . 2 68 . 6 ± 4 . 4 * 10 nm 1 , 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 91 . 8 ± 4 . 6 75 . 1 ± 4 . 1 * 100 nm 1 , 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 90 . 3 ± 9 . 5 68 . 6 ± 10 . 0 * ______________________________________ * statistically significant growth inhibition compared to control ( no ceramide ). the results shown in table 4 indicate that when combinations of 25 - oh - d 3 or 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 with a ceramide of formula a were employed , significant growth inhibition was observed compared to the vitamin d metabolites alone . however , nonhydroxylated vitamin d 3 does not show statistically significant growth inhibition when employed alone and did not show any synergy with the ceramide in inhibiting of keratinocyte growth even when vitamin d 3 was included at 100 nm level . table 5______________________________________synergy between 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 and various lipids 0 nm 10 nm 100 nmtreatment 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3______________________________________no ceramide 100 ± 11 . 4 95 . 3 ± 6 . 9 88 . 5 ± 7 . 23 . 0 μm 88 . 0 ± 0 . 8 84 . 6 ± 11 . 6 68 . 7 ± 4 . 4 * ceramide ( formula a ) 3 μm 81 . 5 ± 6 . 4 * 62 . 9 ± 4 . 4 * 57 . 3 ± 4 . 4 * neoceramide ( formula m ) 3 μm 85 . 7 ± 0 . 9 * 90 . 0 ± 1 . 2 71 . 9 ± 2 . 1 * neoceramide ( formula h ) 3 μm 102 . 9 ± 12 . 3 81 . 4 ± 6 . 2 * 70 . 0 ± 5 . 1 * neoceramide ( formula g ) 3 μm 81 . 1 ± 4 . 9 74 . 6 ± 10 . 0 * 63 . 4 ± 4 . 2 * neoceramide ( formula f ) 3 . 0 μm 62 . 0 ± 12 . 8 * 38 . 9 ± 11 . 1 * 42 . 4 ± 4 . 3 * pseudoceramide ( formula d ) 3 . 0 μm 51 . 4 ± 4 . 0 * 39 . 6 ± 8 . 6 * 33 . 2 ± 3 . 4 * pseudoceramide ( formula c ) 3 . 0 μm 95 . 9 ± 22 80 . 2 ± 6 . 4 * 53 . 0 ± 22 * pseudoceramide ( formula e ) ______________________________________ * statistically significant growth inhibition . the results in table 5 indicate that various lipids ( pseudoceramides and neoceramides ) are equal to , or more potent than , ceramide of formula a in synergistically inhibiting the 25 - oh - d 3 mediated keratinocyte growth . in contrast to ceramide of formula a , 3 μm neoceramides and pseudoceramides alone were growth inhibitory , but in combination with 25 - oh - d 3 they were substantially more inhibitory . normal human keratinocytes were grown to confluence in keratinocyte growth medium ( kgm ) containing 0 . 15 mm calcium . medium was changed to fresh medium . the cells were then incubated in duplicate with 10 , 000 cpm ( 60 picomolar , or 25 picogram / ml medium ) of 25 - oh - d 3 or 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 for various times ( 0 to 240 minutes ). at different time intervals indicated in the table below , the medium of appropriate wells were aspirated , and the wells were washed three times with a 0 . 2 % bovine serum albumin solution in 50 mm tris / 0 . 15m sodium chloride buffer ph 7 . 4 . after the wash the cells in the wells were dissolved in 0 . 1n sodium hydroxide , neutralized with 0 . 1n hydrochloric acid , mixed with 5 ml of scintillation fluid ( ecolume ) and counted in a beta counter . the amount of cpm associated with the cells was calculated as the percent of total cpm added for each time point studied . the results that were obtained are summarized in table 6 . data in the table is expressed as cell associated radioactivity as % of total added . each reported result is a mean of duplicate determinations . table 6______________________________________25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 and 1 . 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3 uptake by keratinocytestime ( minutes ) 25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 1 , 25 -( oh ). sub . 2 d . sub . 3______________________________________ 0 2 . 5 0 . 8 2 3 . 2 2 . 7 5 0 . 3 4 . 210 3 . 4 13 . 015 8 . 3 10 . 030 8 . 1 20 . 060 6 . 2 15 . 6120 6 . 8 26 . 2240 9 . 8 30 . 8______________________________________ as indicated by the results in table 6 above , 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 was rapidly taken up by keratinocytes . by contrast , 25 - oh - d 3 was taken up by keratinocytes at a substantially slower rate than 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 . in addition , 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 up is also catabolized to inactive metabolites rapidly by keratinocytes as shown by bikle et al . &# 34 ; 1 , 25 dihydroxy vitamin d 3 production by human keratinocytes &# 34 ;, the journal of clinical involv . inc ., vol . 78 , pp . 557 - 566 . therefore , exogenous application of 25 - oh - d 3 is a better mode of delivering longer lasting steady state levels of 1 , 25 -( oh ) 2 d 3 to skin cells . this example illustrates a skin care treatment composition which preferably packaged in capsules . ______________________________________skin care treatmentingredient % w / w______________________________________silicone gum se - 30 10 . 00silicone fluid 345 20 . 00silicone fluid 344 58 . 39squalene 10 . 00ceramide 3 ( formula k ) 0 . 01ceramide of formula a 0 . 125 - oh -- d . sub . 3 0 . 001vitamin a palmitate 0 . 50vitamin e linoleate 0 . 50herbal oil 0 . 50______________________________________ this example also illustrates a skin care treatment composition in accordance with the invention in which the formulation of example 1 is prepared but with the following changes : ( i ) liquid paraffin is used instead of the fully hydrogenated coconut oil , and this example illustrates a typical skin care treatment composition within the scope of the invention . ______________________________________skincare treatmentingredient % w / w______________________________________silicone gum se - 30 10 . 000silicone fluid 345 20 . 000silicone fluid 344 57 . 490squalene 5 . 975ceramide of formula b 125 - oh -- d . sub . 3 0 . 01wheat germ oil 2 . 000sesame oil 0 . 500jojoba oil 2 . 000vitamin e linoleate 0 . 500herbal oil 0 . 500ceramide 1 0 . 025vitamin a palmitate 0 . 5______________________________________ this example illustrates a skin treatment system according to the present invention . daily for two weeks , starter composition 1 is applied to the face . for a subsequent two weeks , starter composition 2 is applied daily to the face . after the fourth week , starter composition 3 is applied dally to the face for a successive two weeks . finally , maintenance composition 4 is applied daily to the face beginning at the seventh week and continued for at least two months . components and weight percent concentrations of the aforementioned compositions are outlined in table 7 below . table 7______________________________________ mainte - nance starter composition compo - system ( weight %) sitioncomponent 1 2 3 4______________________________________l - lactic acid 2 . 00 3 . 00 4 . 00 5 . 00potassium 0 . 93 1 . 41 1 . 88 2 . 34l - lactateisostearyl 36 . 50 35 . 01 33 . 54 32 . 08neopentanoatepeg - 8 14 . 30 14 . 30 14 . 30 14 . 30caprylic / capricglyceridescetyl octanoate 12 . 75 12 . 75 12 . 75 12 . 75polyglyceryl - 6 11 . 90 11 . 90 11 . 90 11 . 90dioleatecyclomethicone 10 . 17 10 . 17 10 . 17 10 . 17ppg - 5 - ceteth - 20 5 . 10 5 . 10 5 . 10 5 . 10glyceryl 3 . 13 3 . 13 3 . 13 3 . 13isostearatehydroxycaprylic 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01acidceramide 3 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01ceramide 2 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01pseudoceramide 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01of formula c25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 0 . 0001 0 . 0001 0 . 0001 0 . 0001water qs qs qs qs______________________________________ this example illustrates another treatment system according to the present invention . daily for two weeks , starter composition 1 is applied to the face . for a subsequent two weeks , starter composition 2 is applied daily to the face . after the fourth week , starter composition 3 is applied daily to the face for a successive two weeks . finally , maintenance composition 4 is applied daily to the face beginning at the seventh week and continued for at least two months . components and weight percent concentrations of the aforementioned compositions are outlined in table 8 below . table 8______________________________________ mainte - starter composition nance system compo - ( weight %) sitioncomponent 1 2 3______________________________________salicylic acid 3 . 10 5 . 20 8 . 00isopropyl octanoate 40 . 75 38 . 65 35 . 85peg - 8 caprylic / 16 . 30 16 . 30 16 . 30capricglyceridescyclomethicone 14 . 15 14 . 15 14 . 15sorbitan 10 . 90 10 . 90 10 . 90monooleateisostearic acid 5 . 34 5 . 34 5 . 34xanthan gum 0 . 10 0 . 10 0 . 10ceramide 3 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01ceramide 2 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01neoceramide of 0 . 01 0 . 01 0 . 01formula m25 - oh -- d . sub . 3 0 . 0001 0 . 0001 0 . 0001water qs qs qs______________________________________ this example illustrates an alcoholic lotion containing an amide of the invention which is suitable for application to nails . ______________________________________ % w / w______________________________________neoceramide ( formula g ) 0 . 225 - oh -- d . sub . 3 0 . 002dimethylsulphoxide 10ethanol 40antoxidant 0 . 1perfume qswater to 100______________________________________ the following compositions according to the invention represent lotions which can be used in the treatment of dry , unmanageable hair . ______________________________________ % w / w 10 11______________________________________neoceramide ( formula m ) 1 . 5 -- neoceramide ( formula e ) -- 0 . 525 - oh -- d . sub . 3 0 . 015 0 . 015perfume 0 . 1 0 . 1hydroxyethyl cellulose 0 . 4 0 . 4absolute ethanol 25 25p - methyl benzoate 0 . 2 0 . 2sterilized demineralized water to 100 to 100______________________________________ it should be understood that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only . changes , including but not limited to those suggested in this specification , may be made in the illustrated embodiments without departing from the clear teaching of the disclosure . accordingly , reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention .
compositions for treating skin , hair and nails which contain 25 - hydroxycalciferol in combination with a lipid ingredient . the compositions avoid the toxic effects of 1 , 25 - dihydroxycalciferol , yet attain keratinocyte differentiation and provide additional benefits . also disclosed is a method of improving or preventing the appearance of wrinkled , flaky , aged , photodamaged skin by applying to skin a composition containing in a cosmetically acceptable vehicle 25 - hydroxycalciferol and a lipid ingredient .