FEATURE ARTICLES

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.

Nanotechnology is the design, characterisation, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanometre scale which covers the size range from 1 nanometre to 100 nanometre (nm) where 1 nanometre is 1 billionth of a metre.

In these uncertain economic times, multinational cosmetic companies are looking towards Asia to make up for flat sales in Europe and North America. The mascara category appears to be a particularly bright spot.

Pamela Jones, from our regional office in Singapore, recently caught up with Mrs Le Chau Giang, president of the ASEAN Cosmetic Association.

Formulators from Indonesia and surrounding countries are encouraged to attend FormulaCare for in depth training in laboratories and workshops. Part of this promotion began in August with road shows in Malaysia on 9 August 2010 and Jakarta, 10 August 2010.

Whitening products have shown tremendous growth in recent years. This is especially true of tropical places like Indonesia where the local women strive for a lighter skin complexion.

Skin cleansing products such as body washes and facial cleansers comprise a large and growing segment of the personal care market. The surfactant systems commonly used in these cleansing products are based on alkyl ethoxy sulfates (AES), which can cause skin irritation.

Like other areas, a wave of saving has also hit the cosmetics market in Japan even though it was believed to be strong during recessions.

Over the last decade, our industry has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis. This change has been a result of consumer demand, government regulation and a realisation that we are stewards of our environment.

Due to ageing and external factors, the skin loses its thickness, it produces a reduced amount of structural components and, in general, its biomechanical properties deteriorate.