New biopolymer film-former for varied applications

Many additional compounds are used to provide a special benefit or effect once the product is applied to the consumer’s skin or hair. One such added component is the film-former. These are used to coat the skin to prevent transepidermal water loss, to maintain a good barrier for ultraviolet radiation protection, to prevent chapping of the skin in cold, dry weather, etc. Film-formers are used in hair products where they can help to style the hair or to hold the style in place. In colour cosmetics, film-formers are used in lipstick, eyeliner, mascara and many other applications. Of course, filmformers can be soluble in the oil or the water phase; the desired effect or benefit dictates which phase to use. Typically in lipstick applications or in skin care formulations, where a water resistant film is desired to hold a sunscreen film on the skin, an oil soluble film-former is used. In hair styling or certain facial preparations, water solubility is desired. People have been styling their hair and using products to keep the style in place for centuries. Products used for styling generally consist of a material that can be applied to the hair and that will hold the hair in place. Initially, the styling aids were natural fats and greases most likely from animal sources. Eventually, these fats were emulsified and fragrances added to make more elegant products that were widely accepted by both women and men. These waxy, greasy materials held the style by coating the hair with physically immovable substances that prevented the individual hairs from separating from one another. Of course, the greasy nature of these materials also held on to dust and dirt particles in the air and also rubbed off onto clothing and upholstery. In order to prevent this greasiness, scientists looked for other substances that could hold hair styles in place that did not rely on greasy materials. One of the first hair-styling products that started the trend away from the more greasy appearance and feel was, again, a natural product; shellac. Animal derived, shellac was the first resin used in hair styling. It actually came from the coatings industry where it was used to protect wood. It was dissolved in alcohol and then it could be applied to hair and actually coat the hair fibres. Where two (or more) fibres touched each other, a weld would form where, as the alcohol evaporated, the hairs were essentially glued together. In certain respects, it was a vast improvement over previously used products. It was not greasy. It could be sprayed. It offered excellent humidity resistance. However there was one major problem, it was impervious to removal by all but the harshest of shampoos. In fact, it was generally brushed out. Around the middle of the 20th century, BASF developed a new polymer that found its way into hair styling. This was polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and synthetic polymers have been used in hair-styling products ever since. For more than 50 years, companies such as BASF, National Starch (Akzo Nobel), International Specialty Products (ISP) and others led the field in developing one new resin after another to offer benefits unheard of previously. Each new molecule offered some new benefit or property to satisfy a need brought about by consumer preferences or (more likely) regulatory pressure. These various materials were based on myriad monomers and so a wide range of polymers was produced. As already mentioned, PVP was first followed by copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone with vinyl acetate to improve humidity resistance. Subsequently, other polymer types were created including methylvinylether copolymers with maleic anhydride which were then esterified. An almost endless variety of acrylic acid monomers led to many new polymers for hair setting. These were especially used in hair sprays when low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were starting to be regulated because of their deleterious effects on the atmosphere.

Asensa NFF 11

Then, in the beginning of the 21st century something strange occurred. Consumers suddenly demanded a return to nature and products based on sustainable resources. In the court of public opinion, synthetic ingredients were now labelled as bad and consumers were willing to give up some of the benefits for a product that came from a natural or sustainable source. Products based on gums and other polysaccharides were offered but these did not perform to even minimal standards. The most noticeable problem with these materials was their lack of curl retention under high humidity conditions, a problem that had been easily solved with synthetic resins years before. Now a new material has been developed that not only is essentially 100% natural and from sustainable resources, but also solves the curl retention problem. Asensa NFF 11 biopolymer (now referred to as ‘the new natural biopolymer’) is a corn starch-based natural polymer with both adhesive and film-forming properties, making it an excellent choice for hair styling applications. Like other products before it, this material was originally developed for industrial applications. The new natural biopolymer is made through a patented process starting with corn starch. The resulting material is a coarse off-white powder that easily disperses in water to make a latex which can then be incorporated into hair styling preparations such as gels, lotions, mousses etc., imparting hold, frizz control, and shine to the hair. Truly “green” products can be made with the new natural biopolymer. The new natural biopolymer is quite easy to use. It disperses readily in water to give a slightly hazy dispersion. The use of a small amount of sodium carbonate or other base facilitates the dispersing. The characteristics of the new natural biopolymer are given in Table 1.