FEATURE ARTICLES

An emulsion is a metastable dispersion of liquid inside another non-miscible liquid. Depending on the emulsifiers and process used, different types of emulsions can be achieved.

Bangkok, one of the most vibrant and bustling capital cities in Asia, welcomed the personal care industry to Thailand during the first week of November 2010. With a population of 10 million and its economy responsible for around 40% of Thailand’s GDP, Bangkok is a major force not only in the region, but also on the global stage, with a significant influence on international fashion and culture and a very strong cosmetics market.

Innovative and new products call for creative development. Silicones have been used in personal care products for decades, and what better way to create new and innovative products than using creativity with existing resources.

Seborrhea is a phenomenon that mostly affects the “T-zone” of the face and the scalp. This phenomenon is a common condition concerning men and women with some physical (oily skin, shiny aspect of the skin, feeling of discomfort…) and social repercussions, affecting self-esteem and the wellbeing of people concerned.

The quest for a whiter shade of pale dates back to ancient civilisations, when a pale complexion was associated with aristocratic lineage. During the Tang dynasty (618-907), Chinese women used ground pearl powder as a whitening make-up.

The usage of petrolatum in cosmetics has been under scrutiny recently, particularly within the EC, due to the potential carcinogen and mutagenic effects attributed to traces of impurities generated during its manufacturing process.1

Personal Care editor, Richard Scott, spoke to Daniel Chan, project director of Personal Care and Homecare Ingredients (PCHi), a leading exhibition for personal care, cosmetic and homecare ingredient in China to discover more about the 2011 show (22-24 February) and what it will offer to visitors.

This paper summarises the essential points behind emulsion theory which can help the formulator in his or her approach to preparing stable creams and lotions for use in personal care products.

Acne is a skin condition which affects 90% of teenagers around the world. Understanding acne physiology is the first step in the development of an active cosmetic product targeting this particular section of the population.

Learning is not something we stop doing when we enter a career. In fact, for many people, the learning curve steepens after university as the intricacies of their chosen profession become apparent after years studying what were ultimately just the basics.

Many influential factors must be taken into account if profitability and flexibility are to be equally regarded when investing in new production equipment. Issues such as size and productivity of a plant, as well as the energy consumption, the product quality which can be achieved, the downtimes, or even the cost of cleaning, all are included when calculating the economic efficiency of the process.

Skin complexion is an important attribute of beauty and is of endless concern. Today’s demand for skin lightening products is on the rise to achieve a fairer and lighter complexion, but also to fight age-related hyperpigmentation manifestations, such as age spots.

Ageing of the skin is composed of complex processes in which both intrinsic and extrinsic factors play essential roles. Environmental insults such as UV rays from the sun, cigarette smoke exposure and pollutants, and the natural process of ageing contribute to the generation of highly reactive species.1

The year is 2010. I think if anyone had said to me, five years ago or even less, what are the challenges facing the perfumer in the 21st Century, I do not think I could have imagined the things that are happening in our industry today.

ISO 22716, GMP for cosmetic products is a comprehensive cosmetic quality management systems standard, as it:

Just five months left to go until in-cosmetics – the leading international exhibition for personal care ingredients – opens its doors to the trade, and what a show it is set to be.

Ageing is a process in which both intrinsic and extrinsic determinants lead to the accumulation of unrepaired damage to cellular and organismal components over time. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation considerably accelerates the visible signs of skin ageing and photodamage is believed to account for 80% of facial ageing.1,2

Innovative and new products call for creative development. Silicones have been used in personal care products for decades, and what better way to create new and innovative products than using creativity with existing resources.

From a personal care perspective, preservation is the protection of products and raw materials from the effects of bacterial and fungal growth. While this sounds simple enough in practice, selecting the right preservative system can be one of the toughest challenges facing a formulator.

Buenos Aires welcomed the world of cosmetic science during the third week of September, 2010. A city renowned for its European-style architecture was an ideal location, representing a link between the traditional stronghold of cosmetic science and the emerging influence of Latin America.