Press Room
April 15, 2005
German Version
Cognis at PCIE: value-added ideas for well-being
Rising consumer concerns for health and wellness have become an increasingly influential factor in the cosmetics and toiletries market. At the third Personal Care Ingredients Europe (PCIE) trade show in Paris, France, Cognis Care Chemicals and its active ingredients business Laboratoires Sérobiologiques (LS) presented its latest products and concepts aligned with the growth trend of wellness, which help to give cosmetics and toiletries manufacturers a competitive advantage in their markets. These included Emulgade? Sucro, a new emulsifying system that delivers an outstanding pleasant skin feel, its silicon-free Triple Conditioning Concept, which combines emollients, a cationic polymer and a performance wax dispersion, and the “LS Argan program”, a range of three cosmetic active ingredients derived from the argan tree.
The sensory characteristics of personal care products are becoming more and more important, and there is a strong demand for new emulsifying systems that are skin compatible while giving a high degree of control over the texture and sensorics of the formulation. Cognis’ Emulgade® Sucro meets these requirements. Emulsions based on this new sucrose polystearate feel velvety or powdery when applied to the skin, and have a light and smooth, non-sticky afterfeel. In comparison with traditional emulsifiers, Emulgade® Sucro shows shear thinning behavior and enhanced spreadability. In vitro and ex vivo tests on the moisturizing efficacy of Emulgade® Sucro formulations proved its strong affinity with the horny layers of the epidermis providing even hydro-retentive properties. Emulgade® Sucro is a key ingredient for facial and body creams, including sun care products where customers are looking for nice cushion and a velvet-like afterfeel.
Modern cosmetic formulators demand consistency waxes which have the required care and emulsifying properties, yet still feel light on the skin. Care products based on traditional consistency waxes such as Cetearyl Alcohol and Glyceryl Stearate do not always have the desired sensorial profile nor deliver skin care benefits. Cognis’
Cutina® PES represents a genuine alternative to standard consistency waxes. It builds up the necessary viscosity and stability in o/w emulsions with both ionic and non-ionic emulsifier systems, and also has the pleasant, non-waxy feeling that consumers associate with care products. Cutina® PES is specifically suitable for emulsifier-free formulations based on emulsifying polymers. Due to its flexibility in terms of other ingredients, Cutina® PES is compatible with a huge number of skin care applications.
Products for the hair care market must fulfill a number of requirements: shampoo formulations have to ensure that the hair is not just clean, but easy to comb as well. Other criteria are manageability, suppleness, and gloss. Until now, leading shampoo formulations have used a combination of dispersed waxes and silicone oils to achieve these objectives. Due to patent restrictions these are limited in use, and so there is an increasing demand for silicone-free alternatives. At this year’s PCIE, Cognis Care Chemicals presented a silicone-free Triple Conditioning Concept, which combines emollients, a cationic polymer and a performance wax dispersion. With its Plantapon® LC 7, Cognis exhibited a surfactant that delivers the moisturizing benefits of fruit derivatives and yet is far milder than traditional surfactants. These qualities make it suitable for personal care and baby care formulations such as shampoos and body/facial washes. Because of its 100% active state, it can also be used in non-aqueous formulations such as shower and bath oils.
Wellness in a cosmetic context means much more than simply using natural-source ingredients; consideration of the environment should be apparent at every stage of the cultivation and manufacturing process. Laboratoires Sérobiologiques (LS), the active ingredients business of Cognis Care Chemicals, is working in partnership with local community groups on its “LS Argan program”, which has now resulted in the development of three cosmetic active ingredients derived from the argan tree. The initiative is reflecting LS’s belief that ecological farming, fair trade and sustainability can and should play a major role in the development of new ingredients.
Another highlight at the LS booth is ProDEJine™ LS 9784, a new active ingredient of biotechnological origin, being isolated and purified from yeast. It acts on the dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) to improve the cohesion between the dermis and the epidermis, strengthening the structure of the skin. A clinical test has demonstrated that the ProDEJine™ LS 9784 has a significant anti-wrinkle effect around the eyes. The new product is suitable for use in anti-aging face care products and care products for mature skin. Additionally, LS exhibited the new products in its Active Powders range, Firmness, Moist, Whiteness and Purity, each of which supports a specific cosmetic claim. The Active Powders range is based on an innovative technology that enables water-soluble actives to be incorporated into anhydrous make-up formulations, including cosmetic products such as loose or pressed powders, compacts and lipsticks.
Cognis also presented two new products in its Primasponge range of visual capsules based on Primacare technology. The natural biopolymer chitosan is – due to its interesting film-forming properties and ability to interact with a variety of anionic molecules – a useful basis for creating new cosmetic delivery systems. Cognis has developed a range of such chitosan-based delivery systems, suitable for incorporating actives with various functions into various cosmetic formulations. These delivery systems are produced in different sizes that range from nanometer size to millimeter size and in a variety of formats (emulsion, powder, solid in preserved water). The actives contained in the microcapsules are generally lipophilic vitamins (such as retinol, tocopherol and their derivatives), high-molecular-weight water-soluble molecules (such as proteins), or botanical extracts, all of which benefit from increased stability as a result of being encapsulated. At PCIE, Cognis launched the latest product in its Primasponge range of visual capsules, White Tea and Bamboo Peeling Primasponge®, which combines the antioxidant benefits of white tea polyphenols with the attractive appearance and exfoliating performance of bamboo.
About Cognis
Cognis is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients. The company employs about 8,100 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. Additionally, Cognis provides solutions for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants, textiles and plastics, as well as agriculture and mining.
Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2004, Cognis recorded sales of 3.07 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and exceptional items) of 362 million euros.
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.
Contact
Bettina Jackwerth, Global Marketing Director Skin Care
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-2173-4995-195
E-mail: bettina.jackwerth@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
Sybille Cornelsen, Global Marketing Hair / Body / Oral Care
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-2173-4995-207
E-mail: sybille.cornelsen@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
Isabelle Benoit, Global Marketing Laboratoires Sérobiologiques
Division of Cognis France
Phone: +33-3-8329-0802
E-mail: isabelle.benoit@cognis.com
Internet: www.laboratoires-serobiologiques.com
Wulf Klüppelholz, Corporate Communications Manager
Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Phone: +49-2173-4995-221
E-mail: wulf.klueppelholz@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com