Issue 43 — February 2008

Issue 43
Category		Title		Author
Newsletter		Looking for 'green' alternatives in skin cleansing? New concepts - mild & easy to formulate		Iris Huetter, Jessica Erasmy, Norbert Boyxen

Abstract

Today's skin cleansing market shows an increasing trend towards green and natural-based concepts, apart from traditional products based on ether sulfate and/or ethylene oxide (EO). These "alternative" formulations are regarded to provide particularly mild cleansing and care, and are thus especially suitable for facial and body washes for sensitive skin, kids' and babies' cleansing products, professional shampoos etc.

But up to now, the current formulation technology of these ecologically friendly cleansing products has been very limited, particularly in terms of foam and viscosity. Now Cognis presents new solutions to formulate alternative cleansing concepts. Moreover, a new ready-to-use surfactant blend (Plantapon® SF) is available now that provides absolutely mild cleansing and care being free of alkyl sulfate, alkylether sulfate, ethylene oxide, betaine and preservatives (ECOCERT approved) - the key factor of a successful formulation of green cleansing concepts.



The "free from" trend in personal care

Today's personal care market shows an observable trend of consumers attaching greater and greater importance to natural, 'green', mild and thus obviously safe skin and hair cleansing products. These cosmetic products feature an interesting "free from" trend, i.e. they are preferably free from preservatives, ethoxylates (EO), alkyl and alkylether sulfates and/or betaines etc. Sometimes it seems as if the more "free from", the better, because the consumer seems to associate more skin compatibility, safety and generally eco friendliness with these characteristics (1-6).

Realizing this market trend, Cognis has developed a new surfactant blend - the alternative Compound Plantapon® SF.* This novel surfactant blend enables manufacturers of personal care cleansing products to easily follow this "free from" trend, because it is easy to handle and to thicken. Thus it provides all the benefits of 'green' formulation by using just one single product. Moreover, this ready-to-use surfactant compound conforms to the ECOCERT standards of ecologic and organic chemistry.

What does Plantapon® SF offer?

Plantapon® SF is a sulfate-free surfactant blend that enables the easy formulation of green & natural-based cleansing concepts. It is free from alkyl and alkylether sulfates, ethylene oxides, betaines as well as preservatives and it is ECOCERT approved. Thus this 'green' compound is ideal for bringing mild cleansing & care in a simple way to all kinds of alternative cleansing concepts that are designed for special skin compatibility. So, for example, it is particularly suitable for the formulation of infant products, facial cleansers, mild shampoos, body washes and bubble baths for sensitive skin.

Due to the special composition of raw materials which were carefully chosen, Plantapon® SF is easy to handle, because it is liquid, pumpable, cold processable and, moreover, it shows an excellent thickening behavior.

Effective EO-free skin cleansing - No more wishful thinking since Plantapon® SF is available

As a result of its extraordinary composition, Plantapon® SF even offers the formulation of completely EO-free, but still effective cleansing concepts. This is due to the fact that when using this new surfactant blend, the thickening can be done without any ethylene oxide-containing viscosity modifiers.

The recommended thickening system is Lamesoft® PO 65, a special complex of Coco-Glucoside and Glyceryl Oleate. Apart from its EO-free thickening effect, this lipid layer enhancer provides skin moisturization and smoothness as well as the support of healthy skin featuring skin identical lipids (7-9).

A special advantage: When using the combination of Plantapon® SF and Lamesoft® PO 65, there is an additional benefit for the compatibility of skin cleansing formulations. This particular combination exhibits an enhanced effect in terms of improved mildness (see Performance and special characteristics/Exceptional mildness).

Alternative, but all-round body & hair cleansing concepts

Last not least, Plantapon® SF is an all-round surfactant blend, i.e. that it is compatible with most care additives. Therefore in combination with this sulfate-free surfactant base all desired cleansing claims can be achieved (mildness, protection, moisturizing, softness etc.). So answering the current market needs for 'green', natural-based body & hair cleansing concepts is easy when using this new sulfate-free surfactant Plantapon® SF.

Performance and special characteristics

1. Exceptional mildness

The dermatological compatibility is of extreme importance for the development of mild body and hair cleansing concepts, especially for infant and facial cleansers but also for irritated skin (e.g. irritated scalp due to chemical treatments). A compatibility study using the RBC test (red blood cell test) confirmed the exceptional mildness of the Plantapon® SF (10, 11). Its excellent compatibility can even be enhanced by the combination with Lamesoft® PO 65, the recommended viscosity modifier for EO-free thickening.

During additional compatibility studies, this particular combination of Plantapon® SF and Lamesoft® PO 65 actually outperformed market leading baby and kids' shampoos (benchmark A and B) in terms of mildness significantly (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Exceptional compatibility with mucous membranes - RBC test of Plantapon® SF relative to market benchmarks Enlarged version

2. Excellent foaming

The foam generated through skin cleansing products is of great importance, especially to consumers. Pleasantly foaming formulations have generally been dependent on traditional surfactant systems, normally containing ether sulfates and/or ethylene oxide. That is why 'green', mild and thus SLES-free personal care products have had a big drawback concerning their foam performance so far. But a powerful sulfate- and EO-free surfactant system is now available with Plantapon® SF, making it a real alternative for 'green' body and hair cleansing concepts.

Rotor foam tests revealed the superiority of the foam performance of Plantapon® SF thanks to its well-chosen surfactant system. This new sulfate-free surfactant base showed significantly better foam results compared to SLES-free market benchmarks. This is demonstrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Foaming performance of Plantapon® SF relative to market benchmarks (with and free from SLES) Enlarged version

3. Viscosity behavior and pH influence

In order to achieve optimum mildness and performance for 'green', natural-based cleansing formulations, the ideal combination for viscosity adjustment is: Plantapon® SF plus Lamesoft® PO 65. In this way even the development of completely EO-free products is realizable, not to mention the additional skin moisturizing effects of Lamesoft® PO 65.

Figure 3: Viscosity adjustment of Plantapon® SF with Lamesoft® PO 65 Enlarged version

Typical viscosities of this market segment's cleansing products can be achieved by adding only 2% Lamesoft® PO 65 to a formulation with 12% active matter of Plantapon® SF. If higher viscosities are desired, just higher concentrations of Lamesoft® PO 65 are to be added (see Figure 3). Additional viscosity adjustment can be done by using sodium chloride eventually.

The pH value plays a major role in the viscosity adjustment of products based on Plantapon® SF. The maximum viscosity for an ideal baby cleansing formulation, for example, is achieved between pH 4.8 and 5.2. In general, a pH value below 5.5 is recommended for an appropriate viscosity build-up in the final formulation. Apart from EO-free thickening, of course conventional ethoxylated viscosity agents can also be used together with Plantapon® SF.

The concept "Easy-to-Formulate" - just mix and go

Both products, Plantapon® SF and Lamesoft® PO 65, offer numerous cosmetic benefits and additionally multifunctional formulation properties. That is exactly what turns this combination into a perfect match and thus into an ideal basis for the concept "easy-to-formulate" - just mix and go.

For example: A new development of a 'green', mild body or hair cleansing product with additional care effects can easily be realized by just mixing these both products and adding the desired preservative, perfume and water - finished (see Figure 4). There is no faster way to effective, but 'green' natural-based personal care cleansing formulations.

Figure 4: The concept "Easy-to-Formulate" - just mix and go Enlarged version

Summary

In order to open up new possibilities and to facilitate the development, Cognis presents new solutions to formulate 'green', natural-based cleansing concepts. The new ready-to-use Plantapon® SF is available now - offering the following key benefits of a successful formulation of 'green' skin cleansing products:

Mild surfactant base for alternative body & hair cleansing concepts Free from alkyl sulfates, betaines, EO and preservatives 'Green' & eco friendly (ECOCERT approved) Easy to handle and cold processable Excellent foaming behavior EO-free thickening with Lamesoft® PO 65 The "Easy-to-Formulate" concept Plantapon SF + Lamesoft® PO 65 - most efficient in terms of care effect, foam and viscosity

Note 1

Plantapon® SF (INCI: Sodium Cocoamphoacetate (and) Glycerin (and) Lauryl Glucoside (and) Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (and) Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate).
Lamesoft® PO 65 (INCI: Coco-Glucoside (and) Glyceryl Oleate (EU 2006/257/EC) ; Coco-Glucoside (and) Glyceryl Oleate (CTFA))


Plantapon® SF and Lamesoft® PO 65 are registered trademarks of the Cognis Group.

Note 2

This manuscript was presented at SEPAWA in Würzburg, Germany, October 11-13, 2006.

References

1) Naturkosmetik treibt schöne Blüten, Lebensmittel Zeitung, 2006, 3, 50ff.
2) Ganz schön natürlich, Ökotest, 2006, 2, 37ff.
3) M. Brandl: Am liebsten natürlich, Westdeutsche Zeitung, 10.06.2006, 2
4) J. Woodruff: Natural resources, Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics, 2005, 10, 47ff.
5) S. A. Eliya: Personal Care is natural, happi, 2006, 2, 56ff.
6) A 'natural' driver of demand, Chemical Week, 2006, Vol. 168, No. 12 (April), 32
7) N. Boyxen, P. Busch, H. Hensen, K.M. Mohr, W. Seipel: Modernes Hautpflegekonzept für kosmetische Körperreinigungspräparate, Euro Cosmetics, 2002, 3, 26ff.
8) W. Seipel: Lipids as active agents in surfactant formulations, Skin Care Forum, 1999, 20, 4ff.
9) H. Hensen, W. Seipel, H. Tesmann: Highly performing lipid layer enhancers for hair and body wash products, Cosmetics and Toiletries Manufacture Worldwide, 1998, 157-162
10) W.J.W. Pape, U. Pfannenbecker, U. Hoppe: Validation of the red blood cell test as an in vitro assay for the rapid screening of irritation potential of surfactants, Molecular Toxicology, 1987, 1, 525-536
11) W. Pape: Red blood cell test system, Invittox, Protocol IP-37
Today's skin cleansing market shows an increasing trend towards green and natural-based concepts, apart from traditional products based on ether sulfate and/or ethylene oxide (EO). These "alternative" formulations are regarded to provide particularly mild cleansing and care, and are thus especially suitable for facial and body washes for sensitive skin, kids' and babies' cleansing products, professional shampoos etc.

But up to now, the current formulation technology of these ecologically friendly cleansing products has been very limited, particularly in terms of foam and viscosity. Now Cognis presents new solutions to formulate

Author

Dr. Iris Hütter



Dr. Iris Hütter is a State-certified Food Chemist. She completed her doctoral thesis at Henkel KGaA in cooperation with the University of Hamburg. Since 2000 she has assumed different positions in marketing, for example the marketing of active ingredients and additives such as proteins and phytosterols as well as of cosmetic raw materials for applications in hair, body and oral care. Today she is responsible for marketing Cognis HBO products for use in hair care and skin cleansing applications with focus on Northern Europe.