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| Issue 42 |  |
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| Market Report | From a cucumber mask to a sorbet |
Cosmetics have always drawn a certain inspiration from the food we eat. The importance of this aspect today, and the potential that it offers, is outlined in the following.
The cosmetics industry has for many years found inspiration in food. Cocoa beans and palm nuts, for instance, as natural ingredients, are important for suppliers of surfactants, emulsifiers and emollients. Basic foodstuffs such as cereals, milk, bread, honey, coffee, tea, fruit, rice, potatoes, avocados, olives, nuts, yeast, green tea or red wine all contain valuable substances for skin and hair care cosmetics. Additives in mayonnaise and deserts, such as emulsifiers or solubilizers, are also used in cosmetics. These include high molecular weight monoglycerides, antioxidants and colorants.
Proven old fashioned recipes such as those to strengthen or lighten the hair using beer or camomile tea are passed on from generation to generation. The cucumber slice moisturising mask, or the quark face-pack were the forerunners of the wellness movement. In the 1990s we had homemade edible face creams that could be kept for a reasonable period in the refrigerator.
The Mediterranean and Far Eastern cuisine has opened up a wealth of new possibilities for the cosmetics industry. Olive extracts or olive oil in baby care products would have been unthinkable in North Western Europe 40 years ago. Who would have allowed themselves to be massaged with chocolate, or with a wrinkle-reducing caviar extract? Who had even heard of exotic fruits and cereals such as avocados, mangoes, tapioca or quinoa?
In the search for active ingredients that can do a lot more than simply cleanse and care for the skin or hair, researchers often came up with substances in foodstuffs such as wheat protein, maize starch, camomile extract, sunflower vitamins and fruit acids. Exotics such as caffeine, shea butter, seaweed mineral, moringa micro-proteins, passion flower oil and liquorice extract grew in importance.
By deriving new ingredients from botanical resources, products emerged that found higher levels of consumer acceptance. Using ester oils or compounds such as dicapryl ether or dicaprylyl carbonate of plant origin it is easier to develop lighter formulations than with the heavy, fatty natural oils.
A feast for the senses: gourmet cosmetics
The prerequisite for any successful cosmetics product is that it appeals to all of the senses – sight, smell and touch. It also has to work, of course, and with a product such as lipstick it should have a pleasant taste. Consumer are captivated by the creamy mousse of a cappuccino in the hair, light almond skin cleansing milk, calorie-free soft vanilla yogurt for the morning shower, coconut soufflé as a beauty treatment for the hair, a refreshing, seaweed enriched facial wash, fruity hairstyling gel, honey gel to treat the signs of ageing, and vitamin-rich lemon sorbet for “good morning” daytime care.
The biggest challenge here is to find just the right texture for such a varied mixture of ingredients that will have a reasonable shelf life and also remain stable across a wide temperature range. An innovative new wax for such textures is pentaerythrityl distearate for elegant body butter formulations with a good skin feel.
Phase inversion technology (PIT) allows the production of thin milk-like fluid skin care emulsions that can be made to resemble full cream milk or skimmed milk, depending on the oil used.
Using a light transparent gel cream a sorbet texture can now be created, in which a polymer thickener or emulsifier can be combined with a traditional emulsifier.
The cosmetics chemists were well-advised when they went in search of new trends from celebrity chefs, in TV cooking shows, fashionable recipe books and gourmet magazines.
Formulations
Here are some formulations which display the influence from the food to the cosmetic sector, Irresistable Silky Temptation (Fruit Gel), Creamy Serum (Yogurt), Moisturizing Soufflé Face Cream (Coconut Soufflé), and Golden Body Butter (Butter). Cool textures for hair conditioning treatments are Tasty Hair Care Mayonnaise, Delightful Tropical Fruits and Cereal Hair Liquid Yogurt, and Zero Calories Sweet Pleasure Hair Treatment.
Irresistable Silky Temptation (Fruit Gel):
Enlarged version
Creamy Serum (Yogurt):
Enlarged version
Moisturizing Soufflé Face Cream (Coconut Soufflé):
Enlarged version
Golden Body Butter (Butter):
Enlarged version
Cool textures for hair conditioning treatments are:
Tasty Hair Care Mayonnaise:
Enlarged version
Delightful Tropical Fruits and Cereal Hair Liquid Yogurt:
Enlarged version
Zero Calories Sweet Pleasure Hair Treatment:
Enlarged version
Notes
This article entitled "From a cucumber mask to a sorbet/ Von der Gurkenmaske zum Sorbet", Ute Griesbach, was first printed in Cossma 4/2006, pp. 22-23. A presentation entitled "Von der Schokolade zur Kosmetik - The chocolate side of cosmetics" was given by Ute Griesbach at the BDHI's Congress "The latest news from the cosmetics sector" on November 9, 2005 in Mannheim, Germany.
Author
Ute Griesbach
Ute Griesbach, Biological Technical Assistant, with Henkel since 1981, was active in the fields of biotechnological research and technical product management for cosmetic raw materials, especially active ingredients. In her career, she was also in charge of marketing, business development, project management, and the development of new product groups at Cognis Care Chemicals. Currently, she is responsible at Cognis for marketing Skin Care products in Northern Europe, focussing on products groups such as natural oils, encapsulation technology and plant extracts.
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