There was plenty of networking going on at SCS Formulate (18-19 November 2008) at all levels but a lot of formulators were really there looking for new ingredients. So was SPC
?Many of the cosmetic raw material exhibitors at SCS Formulate are stalwarts of the show, but there were a few new faces in 2008. Some of these had previously been represented on other company’s stands but others were completely new to the event.
New on the block was Belgian company Kreglinger Europe, an international distributor of speciality ingredients that operates out of its Antwerp headquarters. It also works with partners including Huwell and GFN, supplying ingredients for skin care, fragrances and colourants.
Innospec Speciality Chemicals, previously represented by Cornelius in the UK, was a new presence at SCS Formulate 2008 and was understandably keen to increase its profile among existing and potential customers, as well as to promote its Finsolv range of ester-emollients, which are described as imparting a talc-like skin feel. “The Innospec name is less well know here than in the US,” admitted Samantha Gardner, marketing manager, active chemicals. SCS Formulate therefore provided an ideal opportunity for the company to imprint itself better in the UK industry’s consciousness. “We’ve seen a lot of our customers and we’ve been getting other contacts,” said Gardner.
However, Innospec was careful not to over-publicise its latest product, Pureact SLMI-85 (a sulfate-free surfactant) at Telford. “We don’t want to let people down with regard to supply and demand,” Gardner added, “so we’re not publicising too soon.”
Cornelius chose the occasion to announce that as of January 2008 it would be the new UK and Ireland distributor for BASF’s personal care ingredients, which include polymers, UV absorbers, actives and surfactants. It was also showcasing Jeen International’s range of silicones and micro-electric skin care patches from Power Paper, said to enhance the effect of actives.
Another company exhibiting at its first SCS Formulate was organic specialist Cremer Care. Indeed 2009 was not just its first SCS Formulate, it was its first trade show.The Hamburg-based company, formed in January 2008, was there to promote its new Woresana range of organic fatty acids derived from the fermentation of rye with Lactobacillus.
Cremer Care was not the only company to offer new ingredients for use in organic and natural formulations. Gattefossé chose SCS Formulate to preview its Gatuline Skin-Repair Bio. The ingredient is derived from cotton thistle, is Ecocert certified and works to repair damaged skin by rebuilding its barrier effect. According to operational marketing manager, Laurent Schubnel, those organic products currently on the market fail to impart dramatic enough results. “Everybody is looking for organic ingredients with increased activity,” he told SPC. “There has been an improvement in texture, but they need better efficacy and functionality. We were the first to do an organic fruit water and now we are going a step further with actives.” However, Gattefossé said it was actually busier with natural ingredient requests than organic ones at the show.
Interest in natural products was of benefit to many exhibitors, including Kahl on the
H Foster stand where it was promoting its natural waxes. One of the newest and more niche is lotus wax which comes from the flower, “but this is in very short supply,” said Alan Whincup, director, H Foster. The lotus wax has a chemical structure similar to beeswax but flower waxes are smoother and don’t have a dull feel on the skin so can be considered as a waxy emollient. “My favourite is the green tea extract in a lipophilic base,” said Whincup. “It has all the properties of green tea in a wax and adds a hint of green tea to the end product.” Also new was a sugar wax scrub encapsulating sugar in a wax, which can be used in water-free or low water (2%-3%) systems. Kahl said it has done lip treatments with up to 40% of the wax, achieving something between an exfoliating and a treatment effect.
Lincolnshire-based Northstar Lipids was promoting its range of natural oils, in particular its oat oil, which was launched at the show. According to managing director Chris Houghton, the oat oil, said to be rich in essential fatty acids, antioxidants and phospho-lipids, has proved especially popular with lip balm developers and companies specialising in adolescent skin care. Houghton stressed that the oat oil was also ideal for use in mother and baby products as pregnant women are more likely to suffer from dry skin.
Like many at the show, Houghton didn’t seem too concerned about the potential impact of recession. “We’ve never been busier. The last three months have been busier than the last four years,” he assured SPC. “Demand for C&T products won’t decrease. In China, for example, demand for naturals is huge.”
Lake had taken the natural story further by developing its own trademarked brand, DesignedbyNature, described as a powerful combination of natural raw materials and the formulation experience of Lake to offer product developers a natural solution to improving their formulations. DesignedbyNature comprises a wide variety of functional, 100% natural raw materials sourced from Lake’s principals around the world, including Aloecorp, BioReal, CLR and Val de Vire.
“We’re taking the first steps to where we want to be and where the industry wants to be in ten years,” said Ross Barnes, Lake’s manager business development. “We’re drawing cosmetic ingredients under one brand and hoping to become one of the leading distributors for naturals. We’re very excited about the future for this and we’ve had a good reaction to it here. We took more enquiries yesterday than we did over the whole two days last year and we’re taking a bigger stand at the front of the hall next year.”
One of the hot topics of discussion at the show was that of the proposed European Cosmetics Organic Standard, COSMOS, which had been announced shortly before the event. Opinions were mixed but generally strong. “It seems more focused and understandable,” commented Laurent Sousselier, business director, Soliance. “UNITIS (the European Organisation of Cosmetics Ingredients Industries) is working with them and I think it’s a big opportunity, as long as Brussels doesn’t mess it up afterwards.”
“For the moment our policy is to continue to work with Ecocert as this is recognised everywhere, including Asia. I think we’ll really wait for global harmonisation,” said Schubnel.
Kahl’s Karl-Heinz Peleikis didn’t seem particularly impressed: “The intent of the EU is to make a list – that’s politics.”
Another sector that suppliers appeared to be catering for was male grooming. Bell Flavors & Fragrances was there to showcase its recently launched 4MenOnly range featuring six masculine fragrance concepts. The company was also promoting its Tea4Beauty line of tea-based fragrances and botanicals and a concept range featuring yoghurt, both of which tapped into the popularity of food-based products.
For 2009, SCS Formulate heads to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, 18-19 November.
EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS - ADVANCING COSMETIC SCIENCE
?A series of seminars ran throughout SCS Formulate 2009. Tony Barlow of product testing house Euroderm Ltd began the proceedings with Male grooming – more to come? The seminar kicked off with a look at male grooming over the past 30 years. Barlow then drew attention to advertising claims for men’s products, beginning with the difference between anti-wrinkle claims (which require a profilometry test of surface roughness) and anti-ageing ones (which require both profilometry and moisturisation tests). He then queried the claim that men’s skin differs from women’s and requires a separate moisturiser. Barlow came to the conclusion that while there were differences, they were not big enough to warrant separate formulations. Next, he emphasised the importance of packaging and fragrance in selling products to men, quoting a study in which 85% of men rated a women’s moisturiser highly in a closed test, but only 46% rated the same formulation in an open one.
The seminar concluded with a prediction that in 2009 own label brands will venture into male grooming and that the new trend for men’s colour cosmetics will continue to grow, with Barlow claiming: “In the future there will be little difference in product types or availability between men’s products and women’s.”
The second day of seminars started with Emma Meredith from The Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA) speaking about the recasting of The EU Cosmetics Directive. The cosmetics directive – all change please? focused on issues raised by the proposed changes included in the final text submitted to the European Parliament and Council in February 2008. Meredith began by outlining proposed changes and associated problems. Issues raised included the need for an acknowledgement that small traces are “unavoidable” and the “crazy situation” that could see ethanol being banned for cosmetic use if recast as a CMR under REACH. Particular attention was paid to “the nano question”, in particular the lack of an agreed definition and the need to avoid a “disproportionate response” from the European Parliament.
The dates – “where we should be and where we actually are” – were then scrutinised, with March 2009 as the currently predicted adoption date and compliance predicted for 2012. Meredith also stressed the need to get the process through in this parliament, or else the whole process will have to be dropped. “We’re still envisaging adoption in 2009, but we are sailing very close to the wind,” she concluded.
- Companies:
- CLR - Chemisches Laboratorium Dr Kurt Richter
- KahlWax
- Bell Flavors and Fragrances
