Emulsifying soy wax for innovation and sustainability

Older populations are a driving force for products that bring new life to skin by providing soothing moisturisation and masking the visual effects of ageing. Working populations look for convenience and easy use, along with long-lasting colour. The global marketplace needs a little of everything, from customised products differentiated for gender, age, and ethnicity, as well as those geared for fashion trends and seasonal differences Meanwhile, the growing concept of sustainability brings increased awareness of health, environmental and ethical factors to the forefront.

New materials for market impact

In light of today’s market megatrends, successful personal care products depend on a number of factors, from astute product development to creative marketing. Yet for ultimate impact, innovative material technology is a primary component of consumer acceptance. Emulsions are the foundation for products ranging from skin care and sun protection to hair care and colour cosmetics. Along the way, demand has increased for materials that provide multiple formulation benefits, perhaps combining structure with moisturisation, curl retention with hair shine, or colour intensity with long-lasting wear. Multifunctional waxes that form stable emulsions and also thicken are increasingly used in formulating facial care products. Among the newest materials is an emulsifying soy wax, hydrogenated soy polyglycerides/soyamide DEA (and) C15-23 alkane, (Dow Corning HY-3200 Emulsifying Soy Wax) which forms stable oil-in-water emulsions with a broad range of silicones and cosmetic oils. The off-white or beige coloured wax (Fig. 1) acts as a multifunctional emulsifier and thickener at low use levels. No additional thickener is needed, reducing the number of ingredients and offering a potential cost advantage. The naturally derived soy emulsifying wax is produced using a ‘green chemistry’ approach and renewable feedstock. It was developed for a broad range of oil-in-water applications in skin, hair and sun care as well as colour cosmetics, and joins two related soy materials made by a novel metathesis process.