In-Cosmetics 2006: Something for everyone

With enclosed lecture theatres and separated from the main exhibition hall the presentations this year were much easier to hear than at recent In-Cosmetic events and attendances were excellent. John Woodruff reports

As ever at this kind of event potential delegates were faced with the problem of concurrent papers and trying to see friends and colleagues in between presentations, but this is unfortunately something that cannot be helped.

This year's presentations were wide-ranging; some focusing on new actives, others giving a general background to a particular technology. Some presentations had previously been given at Formulate 2005 but many were new and certainly new to the majority of In-Cosmetics visitors. What follows is one delegate's view of what was seen and heard at the Innovation Seminars during In-Cosmetics 2006.

Active delivery

Improving delivery of actives was the subject of a presentation by Ralph Spindler (Amcol) who described means of creating new formulation possibilities through the use of microparticle delivery systems. Delivery systems are typically used to either improve the stability of an active ingredient or to prolong its release over an extended period, thereby helping reduce the irritation of the active. An additional benefit is the ability to bring insoluble or poorly soluble materials into novel formulation formats; for example, to bring

a hydrophilic active into a hydrophobic environment, or conversely to bring a hydrophobic active into a hydrophilic environment.

Spindler described three microparticle delivery systems: Poly-Pore, Macrobead and Polytrap. These have the ability to load high concentrations of both water and oil soluble actives. Poly-Pore [INCI: Allyl methacrylates crosspolymer] is a highly adsorptive polymer and this capacity, combined with proprietary entrapment chemistry, enables Poly-Pore to enhance the performance of all types of functional ingredients, said Spindler. Polytrap [INCI: Lauryl methacrylate (&) dimethacrylate crosspolymer] is the original adsorptive delivery system, with exceptional capacity for stabilising and delivering lipophilic materials with excellent skin feel. The presentation included novel stick formulations where hydrogen peroxide was delivered in high concentrations for oral care tooth whitening. Skin care applications were also described.

Several presentations described active ingredients for delaying the onset of visible ageing, or for

plumping out the wrinkles that were already there! Luigi Rigano presented Kalinet Antiwrinkle by Kalichem Italy as a new functional active principle for fighting wrinkles and skin ageing. It is a purified extract from male sturgeon gonads, made of nucleotide fragments of DNA and said to stimulate keratinocytes growth and increase vitality and cell protection of fibroblast cultures. In-vivo evaluations on 20 volunteers show significant increases of skin moisture, high and significant increase of biological elasticity, increasing cutaneous thickness and improved wrinkle profile.

Corrine Stolz (Seppic) described SesaFlash [INCI: Glycerin (&) acrylates copolymer (&) VP polycarbamyl polyglycol ester (&) hydrolyzed sesame protein PG-propyl methylsilanediol], a patented molecular combination containing sesame to instantly and visibly smooth the skin. Besides the skin tightening felt by the volunteers and the visible reduction in wrinkles within five minutes, SesaFlash imparts a long-lasting hydrating effect.

David Moore (ISP) described Vital ET [INCI: Disodium lauriminodipropionate tocopheryl phosphates], a bio-functional material recommended to be used at 0.3%-1.0% active in skin care products and said to repair UV-induced cell damage. Data was presented that showed that after treating sites for three days with test materials under occluded patches and then subjecting the sites to 1 MED UV radiation, 1% and 3% Vital ET were as effective as corticosteroid in reducing post irradiation erythema and it was more effective than vitamin E acetate. It was suggested that Vital ET is a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-erythemal ingredient that may be added to daily use body lotions to protect against environmental damage as well as to after sun products to reduce erythema.

Plants living under extreme conditions have developed their own strategy to protect their DNA and other important cell structures from environmental stress factors like drought, UV radiation and high salt concentration, said Thomas Schreier (Pentapharm). Watermelon has its origin in warmer parts of Africa and Asia and has adapted well to these extreme conditions. The plant has developed an active principle to protect its essential molecular structures and from this Pentapharm has developed Pepha-Protect, a highly purified and specific fraction of watermelon extract that protects skin from DNA damage. Tests including a direct DNA protection assay, the Comet assay, 8-oxo-guanosine and p53 detection were presented to demonstrate the DNA protection capabilities of Pepha-Protect, in-vitro and in-vivo.

Sunscreen efficacy

In a description of Dow Dispersion Technology, Robert Fletcher explained how it could be used to prepare efficient sunscreen products. Conventional emulsions have a broad particle size distribution with an average size greater than 5µm and require high shear mixing for their preparation. Dow Dispersion technology enables the preparation of high internal phase emulsions with narrow particle size distribution and an average particle size of less than 1µm, and they only require low shear mixing to complete their preparation.

Carefully standardised in-vitro measurements showed that 11.5% octinoxate in the Dow Dispersion concentrate, equivalent to 7.5% in the final product, gave SPF16 instead of the expected SPF10 and other actives and mixtures thereof gave similar increases compared to the expected results. It was suggested that the smaller particles in these emulsions maintain their integrity when spread on the skin and that not only do they absorb UV radiation but also reflect and scatter incident radiation.

Improvements in sun care product formulation continue as market trends call for ever higher SPF values and broad spectrum protection. New EU proposals are for products to have a minimum of SPF6 and for UVA protection to be at least 33% of the SPF. Persistent pigment darkening at the critical wavelength 370nm is the proposed method for determining UVA protection. Under the title, Formulating for tomorrow, Julian Hewitt (Uniqema) described UV filter combinations for high SPF broad band protection. The trend in formulating is to combine organic and inorganic filters in the same product, said Hewitt, and 80% of all sunscreen products now appear to use this approach. This enables formulators to include an active in both phases of an emulsion as well as to take advantage of the proven synergy between ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and octocrylene with microfine titanium dioxide. Continual improvements in manufacturing titanium dioxide dispersions have led to the elimination of skin whitening when using Clarus oil-based or water-based dispersions and these may be used with organic sun filters to yield the high SPF values now demanded.

Other papers on sunscreen products were given by A SenGupta (Amcol) on the use of Polagel UV, a natural additive for boosting the SPF of sunscreens, and by A Polshalko (DSM) on Parsol TX. This is described as a microfine titanium dioxide with a hydrophobic coating of silica and dimethicone, which ensures the photostability of the UVB filter, including BMDBM. Polargel UV is a hydrogel of montmorillonite, titanium dioxide and Picea excelsa (spruce) extract, which is said to enhance dispersion of organic and inorganic actives and to improve SPF values.

Safflower, sunflower, linseed and canola seeds are seeds with high triglyceride content, said Jack Guth (Lonza). Pressing of these seeds results in rupture of the oleosomes and release of the oil, which is then used in a variety of different markets. However, it is possible to isolate intact oleosomes via an entirely aqueous patented process which involves no chemical modification. The resulting oleosome is 99% oil, 1% protein (oleosin) and phospholipids, with a particle size of about 3.0 microns.

Natrulon OSF [ INCI: Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) oleosome] is a 75% oil-in-water emulsion of safflower oleosomes and uses non-GMO seed as its source. Natrulon OSF can be used as the sole oil phase ingredient in an emulsion, where it also imparts emolliency and occlusive properties to the formulation. Other oil phase ingredients such as sun filters, emollients and moisturisers can be added and the emulsion is then combined with water phase ingredients, stabilised by adding a hydrocolloid, fragranced and preserved to yield virtually any type of cosmetic formulation. Because the oleosomes are delivered to the skin as intact entities which can then release their triglycerides to the skin over time,

the effects are longer lasting than would be typically expected with a traditional approach. Finally Guth compared SPF values obtained from sunscreen emulsions based on

safflower oil and those from similar formulation based on safflower oleosomes and showed how high

SPF could be achieved with comparatively low levels of sun filters. Formulation 1 below had an SPF of 32.

Silicone diversity Silicones feature highly at any conference about cosmetic ingredients and In-Cosmetics 2006 was no

exception. A presentation on the

subject was given by Claudius Schwarzwalder, Centre Européen des Silicones (CES). This is a non profit-making trade organisation representing all major producers of silicones in Europe that provides information on silicones from a health, safety and environmental perspective. Silicones are driving innovation in personal care and allowing product differentiation based on performance, claimed Schwarzwalder.

Modified silicones include the addition of perfluoro groups to increase spreading properties of alkyl groups to improve substantivity and wet combing and to impart a velvety feel. Aryl and phenyl groups give added gloss and improve organic compatibility and polyether and glucoside groups provide emulsifiers, conditioning properties and foam boosting activity. Silicone waxes are of interest to formulators. Their melting point depends on their molecular structure and varies from a soft gel to a high melting point wax. When incorporated into emulsions they lower the surface tension of the oil phase and thus improve its spreading properties and they can also be added to shampoos to add conditioning properties.

Current developments in silicone technology include combining basic silicone structures with organic moieties to create new hybrid materials. This is providing silicone resin gels and powders, new hyper-branched structures and materials such as silicone-polyethers for thermal protection of hair and thermoplastic silicone elastomers as film formers and fixatives. Future developments are expected to provide silicone-based delivery systems for bioactive compounds for controlled release, biologically active silicone compounds and enzymatic silicon-carbon bond formation.

Ultrathix P-100 is an acrylic acid/VP crosspolymer that is designed to meet the formulator’s challenge of enhancing sensory effect while improving product performance, said Andrew Mint (ISP). It is a styling agent that offers long-term hold under conditions of high humidity and it can also be used as an emulsion stabiliser. It was created as a replacement for PVP/carbomer styling systems and has the advantage of being compatible with polyquaternium-11 for flexible hold or with PVP K90 for crunchy styles. It is also recommended for two-part colour systems. It is incorporated in the developer at pH 3.6 and when this is mixed with the colorant phase it thickens the combined composition to a clear gel.

Pectin in skin care was the subject of the presentation by Jens Trüdsoe (CP Kelco) who first described the formation of pectin when fruit was preserved in sugar and then how it could be modified. It was found that the addition of alkali removes some of the ester groups and this prompted research into its ability to normalise the pH of the acid mantle of skin after it had been adversely affected by soaps and other alkaline treatments. If a product containing pectin is topically applied it brings the pH of skin to 5.5. If environmental factors then increase the skin's pH the pectin remaining on its surface will restore its pH to 5.5, and this effect appears to repeat itself until the pectin is removed or exhausted.

Other presentations included inulin-based surfactants from Orafti Bio, Fixomer 40 from Nalco, cationic guar derivatives from Rhodia, Fixate from Noveon and new technology for enhancing skin and hair care properties and appearance from Dow Chemicals. Vincience showed research into cotton honeydew oligo-saccharides and their effect on normal and damaged human hair illustrated by scanning electron micrographs. There were several papers on preservation and others on product testing and proof of effect. In fact there was something for everyone and the record attendances proved the success of the seminars.