Press Room
March 15, 2007
German Version
Cognis at the PCIA 2007 – well-being solutions meeting key market demands
With a broad range of products and concepts exhibited at this year’s Personal Care Ingredients Asia in Guangzhou, Cognis underlined its know-how in offering solutions to enhance consumers’ sense of well-being. At their booths, the global specialty chemical supplier and its active ingredients business Laboratoires Sérobiologiques presented, among others: Cetiol SenSoft, a light and versatile emollient suitable for face, body, and sun care or color cosmetics products; Arlypon TT, a high-performance thickening agent designed especially for difficult-to-thicken surfactant systems; Phytosoothe, a vegetal biomemitism active for scalp soothing and hair beautifying.
Today’s consumers long for a sense of well-being during and after using their personal care products. Cetiol SenSoft, the “happy” emollient, is a versatile innovative emollient that enables manufacturers to exactly meet the demand for a sensorial and holistic product experience. The proof is given by two unique and outstanding test methods. Cetiol SenSoft is highly compatible with commonly used raw materials, offers excellent hydrolytic stability, good UV filter solubilizing power, and has the ability to wet powder. The emollient is therefore suitable for face, body, and sun care products, decorative cosmetics or deodorants.
Ingredients like fragrances, essential oils and vitamins also play an increasingly important role in the purchasing decision for personal care products. However, incorporating these ingredients requires highly effective solubilizers – such as those in Cognis’ comprehensive solubilizer portfolio. This comprises of high-performance solubilizers used in a wide variety of formulations, including both clear liquids and milky products. While Eumulgin L and Eumulgin HPS perform well in water and water/ethanol systems, Eumulgin ES is specially designed for surfactant-based media.
For many formulators of shampoo and body cleansing products, viscosity adjustment is a challenge, especially with the use of sulphate-free systems. Arlypon TT is a high performance thickening agent designed for this purpose and difficult-to-thicken systems. It synergistically thickens due to its associative and micellar composition. Surfactant systems, whether they are completely free of sulphates and betaines, low active matter systems, or blends of specific mild surfactants, are tamed by Arlypon TT. The product is pumpable, cold processable, and preservative-free.
Cognis also showcased Lamesoft Care, a power conditioning concept offering exceptional skin and hair conditioning effects. Its micronized lipid system delivers intensive conditioning effects for hair care concepts and excellent sensory properties in body wash products. As a unique performance wax, Lamesoft Care meets consumers’ performance expectations without the use of silicones. Furthermore, it provides shampoo and shower products with a luxurious and elegant pearl shine effect.
Cosmetic Rheologies, a subsidiary of Cognis Care Chemicals, presented Ultragel 300, a cationic polymer for rheology control in hair and skin care preparations, which has not only been accepted in crystal clear formulations but has also become a preferred thickener for creams and lotions. Ultragel 300 comes in powder form and provides a very pleasant feel of the end products on the skin. It also disperses easily, does not require neutralization or heating and thereby helps to cut production times and reduce costs. The Cosmedia CTH (E) and Cosmedia ATH acrylic homopolymers – cationic and anionic respectively – are designed to enhance the performance of skin and hair formulations while improving their spreading characteristics. Both polymers come in the form of liquid emulsions and can be easily added at any stage of the manufacturing process. They also contribute to the emulsification, stabilization, and thickening.
With Phytosoothe LS 9766, Laboratoires Sérogbiologiques launched a biomimetic active for soothing and beautifying both the skin and hair. Phytosoothe is a compound of phytosterols from canola (rapeseed) and cetearyl alcohol. It is easy to handle, and energy and cost saving due to the lower heating requirements in production as compared to pure phytosterols. Phytosterols have a proven soothing, anti-inflammatory effect, due to their cell membrane stabilizing and leucotriene inhibiting properties. They also have barrier function strengthening and repairing properties – a biomimetic effect due to their structural similarity to cholesterol – and are therefore particularly suitable for the treatment of dry and irritated skin or scalp. In a clinical test, Phytosoothe has demonstrated a significant reduction of irritation, itching and tingling of scalps irritated by prior hair straightening treatments. This active ingredient can therefore be used in leave-on and rinse-off soothing applications for skin and hair such as: pre-and post-shaving, baby care, relaxers, pre-or after treatments, dry and sensitive skin applications, and depilatories.
New formulation concepts
Weather conditions and lengths of the days influence mood and feelings, as well as free time activities. During summer, outdoor activities are high up on the agenda, whereas winter is the season to calm down and pamper oneself. Cognis aims to offer tailored solutions to meet the specific challenges of spring, summer, autumn and winter, as temperature, sunshine or rain also have an enormous impact on skin and hair. With "Feel four seasons", Cognis presented a new formulation concept which includes innovative ideas to meet seasonal consumer demands and to balance seasonal extremes.
Consumers expect their personal care products to deliver care benefits and performance. But in recent years, they have become more exacting. Now the consumers also demand a sensorial experience, which is the key both to enhancing their mood and acceptance of a product. "Feel it" is the umbrella name for a range of new Cognis formulation technologies that provide a variety of textures for a holistic sensorial experience and precise control over product textures. One example is the integration of a wax melting cascade into a gel system, which results in a new body butter concept. Another example is an innovative anhydrous system with water soluble actives that delivers a “thirst quenching” effect for the skin.
About Laboratoires Sérobiologiques
Laboratoires Sérobiologiques is Cognis Care Chemicals’ active ingredients business. It specializes in the development, manufacture and marketing of innovative cosmetic concepts and active ingredients.
About Cognis
Cognis is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 8,000 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities to a high level of sustainability and delivers natural source raw materials and ingredients for food, nutrition and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants, textiles, as well as agriculture and mining. The company holds a 50-percent stake in the joint venture Cognis Oleochemicals, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of oleochemicals.
Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2005, Cognis recorded sales of 3.18 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and exceptional items) of 356 million euros.
Contact
Raquel Ark, Corporate Communications Manager
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-2173-4995-464
E-mail: raquel.ark@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
Anne-Laurie Rodrigues, Communications Laboratoires Sérobiologiques
Division de Cognis France
Phone: +33-1-144799517
E-mail: anne-laurie.rodrigues@cognis.com
Internet: www.laboratoires-serobiologiques.com