FEATURE ARTICLES

The production of metabolic energy from microbial fermentation of small molecules is examined in this article. Recent developments for cosmetic and personal care products have imitated ideas from the food, nutritional and pharmaceutical industries for crossover applications. Until recently, skin care and skin health was restricted to mainly cosmetic applications such as topical creams rather than internal nutrition.

Despite all the economic doom and gloom around, the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) look likely to buck the downward trend. Recent predictions expect India’s economy to grow by 5.1% in 2009 while many European countries will see negative growth of around 2%. So there is good news for companies already investing in India and those considering that market. For companies in the cosmetics and toiletries industry the news is even better. Sales in this sector grew by 46% in the period between 2002 and 2007 and are set to continue at this rate to 2012 (according to Euromonitor).

The value of face in Asia is not merely rhetorical but also superficial. The importance that Asians attach to their facial beauty is translating to strong demand for skin care in Asia. This is evident by the fact that skin care in Asia accounted for 38% of cosmetics and toiletries sales (US$26 billion) in 2007, up nearly 7% in value terms. Euromonitor International’s latest study on cosmetics and toiletries highlighted that nourishers/anti-agers are spearheading skin care’s performance in Asia.

The number of natural butters continues to grow, and the importance of the wide variety offered is increasingly important. It is hoped that the popularity of these materials will spur the extraction of natural waxes which would be equally acceptable to the natural chemist who is limited by the current choices available. Information about butters is often very confused and this makes identification difficult.

Examined in this article are the protective effects of turmerones from Curcuma longa against UVB-induced oxidative stress – upregulation of cellular defence systems.

Detailed in the following pages are preservative regulations applying in Europe, China (including Hong Kong), the ASEAN countries, Taiwan, Japan, the United States and Australia.

Mickey McDonnell – Honeywell, United States

Desquamation is the natural process of old, dead cells falling off the surface of our skin. It is estimated that each of us sheds as many as a billion cells each day.1,2 Desquamation has been postulated to evolve in order to remove the cells damaged by airborne toxins and eliminate waste from inside the body, such as excess iron.2 Exfoliation hastens the desquamation process and exposes skin cells with a brighter appearance and a tighter feel. Chemicals can be used to reduce the cohesion between the cells and promote sloughing, but the physical action of exfoliating beads may be a safer way to achieve the same result.

Anne Laurie Rodrigues – Laboratoires Sérobiologiques, France

Sensitive skin is healthy but overresponsive, i.e. it will react faster and more intensely to environmental factors – temperature changes (heat as well as cold), and sunlight – and external stimuli including the use of cosmetic products and certain medicines.

Kevin Roden – Regional Technical Manager, Asia Pacific, Thor Specialties

Preservatives are regarded by some segments of the public as toxic chemicals put into our food and personal care products by uncaring manufacturers indifferent to the fact that they are causing all types of horrible effects on unsuspecting consumers.

Sheree E. Cross, Michael S. Roberts – University of Queensland, Australia Michael Russell, Ian Southwell – NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia

This article examines an assessment of the human skin penetration of essential components of Australian tea tree oil.

Sophia Kim of Cognis Korea and Isabelle Benoit of Laboratoires Serobiologiques

Traditionally, white skin conveys “beauty” in Asia and developing brightening skin care products are challenges for cosmetic formulators who need to meet the high expectation of consumers. To achieve effective whitening from active ingredients, formulators need to consider the right selection of polymers, emulsifiers and emollients for a successful formulation.

Wong Shuiling – Croda China / Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Ageing has many definitions. Most of us define ageing in terms of the appearance of people in our life experience. Some scientists described ageing as a decrease in functional capacity. This view actually is consistent with the traditional Chinese medicinal concept as presented in Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic (Huang Di Nei Jing) thousands of years ago. The book described in detail the functional cycles of men’s and women’s lives and the deterioration of functional capabilities with old age.

Dr R.J.W. Hefford – Consultant, Independent Cosmetic Advice Ltd, UK

This article covers three areas: hair lightening achieved with an oxidation reaction process, oxidative hair colouring, and direct hair colouring.

12. Schubnel, S. Moyrand – Gattefossé, France

Sensorial characteristics are often of major importance in the development of products. In the personal care area, these characteristics relate to texture, colour and smell. Sensorial qualities are also elsewhere valued widely in such sectors as food, textiles, packaging, decoration, and even architecture.

Pierre-Yves Morvan and Romuald Vallée – Codif International, France

The fundamental role of urea in maintaining the skin’s moisturisation is well known.1

Concentrated in the stratum corneum, where it represents 7% of the natural moisturising factor (or NMF),2 it is naturally present in normal skin, but its concentration falls rapidly by 50% in dry skin and 85% in skin suffering from dermatosis.

This drop in urea content is irremediably accompanied by a depletion of NMF and therefore loss of moisturisation.3 The skin becomes wrinkled and loses its suppleness and radiance.

Martha Tilaar – Founder of the Martha Tilaar Group Wong Lip Wih, Anna S. Ranti, Suryaningsih, Maily – Martha Tilaar Innovation Center, Indonesia; S.M Wasitaatmadja – Dermatologist, University of Indonesia

The demand for naturally-derived active ingredients for cosmetics continues to increase. Several aspects should be considered when utilising plant materials in cosmetics – these aspects include the quality of the plant materials, processes, biological activity, and safety.

The objective of our study was to look for moisturising and antioxidative agents in Indonesian botanical resources which contain flavonoid and polyphenol.

John Staton – Dermatest, Australia

Anti-ageing covers a substantially broad area of claims associated with both the prevention and the treatment of chronological and environmental effects on the condition of human skin.

A large number of instrumentally based clinical methods are available for the substantiation of claims related to anti-ageing. This article describes the most common of these and considers only those which are essentially non-invasive.

Alain Khaiat Ph.D – Seers Consulting

Intrinsic ageing is the natural process of ageing, due to the clock ticking. Extrinsic ageing is the process of ageing due to external factors.

The 13th Cosmoprof Asia beauty sector event is to be held from 12 to 14 November at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. This trendsetting event each year confirms its global role in the world’s beauty event calender. With its 48,000 m2 of exhibition space, the fair is surpassed only by the giant Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna.

J.M. Carey, B. Moran, F. Shuster and B. Vondruska – Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Noveon Consumer Specialties, USA

Careful design of sensory properties can transform a skin care routine into a pleasant, memorable experience. Imagine being able to efficiently tailor sensory profiles to individual preferences. The Noveon Consumer Specialties group of Lubrizol Advanced Materials has developed visual tools that will enable formulators to easily select the appropriate products to meet desired formulation aesthetics and skin feel. These tools centre on proper selection of Carbopol polymer and Schercemol ester combinations to influence sensory properties, which is the essence of the SensiMap concept.