Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Sun Care Ultraviolet (UV) exposure is considered as the primary root cause for non-biological skin ageing and non-melanoma skin cancer. Conventional suncare includes UV filters and Sun Protection Factor (SPF) boosters.  UV filters are the active to absorb UV.  SPF boosters can help achieve high sun protection with less UV actives and provide improved sensory performance (e.g., less greasy/oily). However, many UV filters and Sun Protection Factor (SPF) boosters used for sun protection are perceived as -not environmentally friendly. Delivering a sustainable high SPF sunscreen is a major challenge faced by the industry.  Dow is excited to launch SunSpheres™ BIO SPF Booster, a bio-based microcrystalline cellulose derived from FSC certified wood pulp, with a natural origin index of 0.97 according to ISO16128 standards, and it can be claimed as a Derived Natural Ingredient. It also contains 100% renewable carbon and is biodegradable. The material delivers SPF boosting effect demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo in various sunscreen formulation chassis at low concentration level with additional benefits including no whitening, water thickening and excellent shear thinning for spreadability and sprayability. SunSpheresTM BIO SPF Booster can be easily formulated into a variety of formulation chassis, including oil in water, water in oil, and water in silicone, with either organic or inorganic UV actives. The material has also demonstrated good heat age stability in sunscreen formulations. The mechanism of action for SPF boosting was attributed to the material`s unique physical properties that led to superior UV light scattering capability. SunSpheres™ BIO SPF Booster is therefore able to address the prevailing need in sun care for improved UV protection.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Sun Care Formulators of sun protection products are confronted with a variety of different, sometimes controversial, challenges. The request for high SPFs leads to higher oil content, more electrolytes and pigments which may eventually destabilize formulations. High oil contents affect skin feel and texture and hinder the formulation of light and dry products. UV-filters do not always reach their full protection capacity due to a lack in film forming and uneven droplet distribution. The need for higher emulsifier concentrations to achieve stable formulations can decrease the water resistance of formulations. Film forming products promising to retain water resistance often lead to a tacky or dull sensation on skin. The desire for more naturalness in cosmetics demands for ingredients able to replace micro-plastics and synthetic or silicone based ingredients. A bunch of different raw materials is usually needed to satisfy every single requirement. So called SPF booster, film former and co-emulsifier are typical candidates. The multifunctional and patented blend consisting of a natural wax and an anionic lactic acid ester is a 360° approach to all these challenges. In-vivo studies show increased SPF and water resistance in different basic sunscreen formulations. Additionally the blend contributes to emulsion stability and makes co-emulsifiers obsolete. It provides gentle film-forming in formulations without negative effects on the skin feel. A trained test panel attests that the sensorial profile in a sunscreen emulsion is comparable to the same formulation using a silicone derived film former instead. To make the 360°complete, the multifunctional blend is based on 100% renewable raw materials. By eliminating silicone/synthetic raw materials for different purposes with one natural based product it is possible to go the next step towards a high degree of sustainability and naturalness in sun protection cosmetics.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Sun Care Balancing an effective particle size with appealing aesthetics, Croda's latest innovation brings perfect harmony to skin protection products: SolaveilTM HTP1 is a sunscreen grade Titanium Dioxide powder and is the first product available from the SolaveilTM Harmony range. SolaveilTM HTP1 has been developed using Croda’s patent protected technology. Its particle size has been carefully balanced to provide minimal whitening on skin, whilst also being large enough to be suitable for natural and COSMOS approved formulations. This mineral sunscreen active is approved worldwide as a UV filter and is inherently mild and safe, making it particularly suitable for sensitives skin and babies. Used as a single active ingredient, SolaveilTM HTP1 meets current FDA guidelines for UVA protection (critical wavelength) and in most systems also achieves European UVA requirements, and the proposed new UVA1/UV criteria in the USA. SolaveilTM HTP1 is compatible with a wide range of oils and solid loadings up to 15% for oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions can easily be achieved. If necessary, Solaveil Harmony can be combined with organic sunscreens. It can be used in cold process systems.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care Sunhancer™ Eco SPF booster is an all-natural powder that increases SPF and is compatible with a broad range of cosmetic ingredients. Composed of micron-sized rough particles, it is made from a blend of two sustainably sourced waxes. It is also non-nano, inherently biodegradable and non-persistent in the environment while reducing the amount of UV filters needed in a formulation. In a sunscreen, the particles of the Sunhancer™ Eco SPF booster increase the number of scattering sites, limiting the interaction of UV rays with the skin. The product impacts the entire UV spectrum and works both with organic and inorganic sunscreen actives. It also provides a powdery after-feel to formulations, improves sunscreen aesthetics and lightness, while reducing oiliness, drag and skin irritation. These benefits make Sunhancer™ Eco SPF booster ideal for a daily sunscreen, multitasking moisturizer with sun protection and sun care formulations. 

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care We all love that natural sun-kissed glow that we can get from a summer holiday! In the context of a recent DSM Global Survey with more than 4.000 consumers, over 60% of respondents declared to value “having some tan to look good & healthy”, true across age groups with bigger relevance below 55y.o.. With a just back from holiday look, people feel beautiful and confident enough to wear less make-up, healthier and revitalised…with beauty standards evolving towards a more natural effect and diverting from deep tanning. But unfortunately holiday breaks come around rarely and, in the meantime, our busy everyday lives can leave our skin looking dull and tired. How getting a natural healthy glow all year round, then? Quick-fixing solutions, like special make-up or self-tanners, can be options, but they are recognized having some limitations in providing a natural effect: consumers want more… DSM Personal Care proudly introduces the perfect solution for this market framework. SYN-GLOW™ is the brand new Glow Boosting Peptide, that partners with skin to reveal its natural sun-kissed tone from within…all year round, as if you were just back from holidays! Our pentapeptide, with a unique amino acid sequence, has been designed to be highly selective agonist of Melanocortin Receptor-1 or MC1R (in vitro scientific evidence, not final product claim), with the intent of enhancing skin’s natural tone while strengthening skin defences from within. The efficacy of SYN-GLOW™ has been proven ex-vivo and in-vivo with outstanding results. It’s clinically validated: SYN-GLOW™ promotes a visible healthy glow in just 5 days (+90% vs control, high significance) and long lasting result (up to 2.5 weeks proven visibility, highly significantly better than control) to achieve a natural bespoke complexion. 100% of volunteers noticed their skin fresher and more revitalized after the application.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care The use of synthetic rheology polymers like Carbomer or Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is declining, particularly in EU and NA, as a consequence of the Clean, Green and Certified beauty trends, and the upcoming regulations around polymers (microplastic restriction, REACH polymer).  Xanthan gum is usually the natural rheology polymer that formulators are going to consider & test first when moving away from synthetic polymers. The use of xanthan gum into skin care products is already very well established. However, xanthan gum has some limitations. It provides a sticky skin feel, has a limited pH tolerance and it does not enable the design of emulsifier-free formulas. Solvay offers RheozanⓇ SH (INCI: Succinoglycan), a 100% natural and readily biodegradable polymeric rheology modifier produced by fermentation of Non-GMO Agrobacterium Tumefaciens. It is very similar to Xanthan Gum in terms of rheological properties and way to use & formulate. However, RheozanⓇ SH provides the advantage of delivering a very pleasant smooth & velvety skin feel, making it an excellent choice as a stabilizer of oil-in-water formulations in “masstige” and prestige skin care, as well as in sun care where achieving aesthetically-pleasing products can be a challenge. RheozanⓇ SH also exhibits a unique wide pH tolerance (1-14) making it particularly relevant for applications such as AHA-based anti-aging, skin exfoliation, skin whitening, skin tanning, and depilatories. Finally, RheozanⓇ SH allows the design of emulsifier-free formulas, what could be of particular interest for natural skin care (EO-free emulsification), as well as for facial skin care for dry & sensitive skins.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care The skin barrier protects our skin from dehydration, prevents from external aggressors and ensures the functionality of the skin as our body’s biggest organ. It is a real bodyguard. However, internal and external factors can harm the sensitive lipid layer and affect the protective functions possibly resulting in a decreased humidity level, hypersensitivity or premature skin aging. Besides cholesterol and different essential fatty acids, ceramides are the most essential building blocks of the skin barrier. The skin’s natural regeneration process to restore the lipid layer is often reduced with stressed or damaged skin, which makes the dermal application of ceramide containing products necessary to rebuild the lipid layer. Specially developed for those requirements, BergaCare SmartLipids Ceramide offer lipid encapsulated skin-identical submicron molecules mimicking, repairing and enhancing the natural skin barrier. The SmartLipid technology offers additional advantages such as higher ceramide loading capacity, improved skin penetration of the active, reduced TEWL, stabilized system and easy incorporation. A sustainable and long-term repair of the skin barrier does not solely relate to the external supply of highly efficient actives. Suitable delivery systems with excellent adhesion, increased residence time on the skin and therefore significantly improved efficacy are mandatory. Learn more about how the smart and multifunctional delivery systems of BergaCare SmartLipids Ceramide answer the needs for a strengthened skin barrier and how to use them in cosmetic formulations.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care Clean Beauty is a trend that meanwhile has been becoming a lifestyle. Undeceived customers have more and more specific questions, which reveal that Clean Beauty is being understood in different ways. For this reason, there is now more talk about Clean and Green, which addresses both the benefit for the consumer and the environmental impact in sourcing and use of a product. The focus is on terms such as ethical sourcing, natural compatibility and health. This applies to all areas of daily life and ultimately also to cosmetics. Examples of ingredients that reflect this trend illustrate how the cosmetics industry takes these customer needs seriously.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care Wesource™ introduces Hydrachrysum™, an innovative moisturizer offering a solution to break Inflamm’dryness™ vicious circle to tackle dry skin conditions.  Dry skin is characterized by tightness, itching, lack of elasticity and an overall discomfort. The altered barrier function leads to dehydration, impaired lipid production and an inflammation signalling cascade. Recent scientific progress has linked skin dryness to inflammation: this is the Inflamm’dryness™ phenomenon. Hydrachrysum™ is the new natural ally of dry skin. Bio-inspired by Helichrysum stoechas, the Everlasting maritime plant which adapts to its arid ecosystem, Hydrachrysum™ has been developed using our Celtosome™ biotechnology. It offers a unique molecular richness made up of hydrophilic & lipophilic molecules derived from the dedifferentiated plant cells and specific ones secreted in the medium. Hydrachrysum™ is a patented moisturizing active ingredient that breaks the Inflamm’dryness™ vicious circle. It induces a decrease of pro-inflammatory and an increase of pro-resolutive mediators to allow a return to homeostasis and improved barrier function. Hydrachrysum™ increases the number of lacunae, these markers of hydration acting as extracellular water tanks and representing up to 40% of the volume of the stratum corneum. It boosts skin moisturization after only 5 days by increasing significantly the number of lacunae +82%* vs placebo.  Hydrachrysum™ is Cosmos and NaTrue approved, Halal certified, and scientifically proven with in-vitro, ex-vivo and in-vivo data at 1%.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care Sleeping is one of the most important beauty secrets. Overnight, our skin is regenerating thanks to the action of melatonin, well-known to preserve skin youth from oxidative reac-tions and enabling rejuvenation processes. However, its release may be impaired by excessive digital stress exposure, causing premature skin ageing. To counteract this, we developed a botanical complex able to avoid perturbation in the melatonin production rhythm, even when skin is exposed to digital devices. Synchronight™ is a patent-pending extract of Gardenia fruits, specifically enriched in crocin, stabilised in a NAtural Deep Eutectic Solvent.  Its specific composition has been optimised to absorb wavelengths of digital devices, allowing to protect the natural production of melatonin by skin. Additionally, crocin has been evaluated by our microbiome experts who demonstrated its conversion by skin microflora into crocetin, a molecule able to bind to melatonin receptors, thereby mimicking the biological actions of melatonin. The efficacy of Synchronight™ has been exhaustively studied through a full set of in vitro and ex vivo tests. Under intense blue light emissions, it protects mitochondrial network up to +51%, and reduces skin proteins oxidation down to -81%. A double blind clinical study versus placebo has been performed on volunteers daily exposed to digital devices emissions. The results highlighted the significant anti-ageing benefits of Synchronight™ with a -26%  reduction of crow’s feet wrinkles number after 56 days; 75% of volunteers evaluating their skin as smoother and 80% as more hydrated. Furthermore, Synchronight™ was shown to deliver major well-being benefits through an improvement of sleep quality. Volunteers’ awakenings were reduced by -87% (from 23.0 to 3.0) and falling asleep was deemed easy for 90.3% of testers.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care In the research of new solutions the main source of inspiration continues to be Nature. In this sense, microalgae have been gaining the spotlight in our hearts. Microalgae are exceptional sources of biomolecules with outstanding nutrition capacity and skincare benefits. They are also full of challenges to be used topically. Strong colour and smell and difficulty of stabilising their powerful antioxidants are some of them. In this talk, we are going to reveal how Bicosome® technology solves limitations and boosts microalgae benefits in the skin, and how our new skin superfood ingredients decelerate ageing and pro-resolve skin inflammaging processes. Bicoalgae® was created from our deep wish of integrating nature intelligence and skin technology.

Lecture Language: English Category: Personal Care / Skin Care Menopause is recognised as a major change in the life of women and has a tremendous impact on the skin, hair and body beauty and perception. Peri- and menopausal women frequently experience skin sagging, including sagging of the cheeks, jawline and eyelids, as a sign of ageing at the onset of menopause, changing their facial contours. FEMINAGE™ is an extract of the plant Engelhardia chrysolepis, titrated in astilbin and its derivatives, designed to serve the specific needs of women experiencing skin sagging related to the declining oestrogen levels. In vitro tests demonstrated that FEMINAGE™ helps to protect the integrity, quality and functionality of the elastic tissue and counteracts glycation. Furthermore, FEMINAGE™ possesses anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties and stimulates the synthesis of major components of the dermal-epidermal junction to fight against its weakening caused by ageing. In vivo studies on a Caucasian and a Chinese panel of menopausal women revealed that the application of FEMINAGE™ led to a significant facial and eye contour remodelling. FEMINAGE™ significantly reduced sagging of the cheeks and enhanced their firmness and elasticity. Furthermore, the application of FEMINAGE™ significantly improved the appearance of marionette lines, smoothed crow`s feet wrinkles and reduced droopy eyelids. Thus, FEMINAGE™ exerts multiple beneficial effects to cope with oestrogen deficiency and fights skin sagging to redefine femininity and to remodel facial contours.

Spoken Language: English Category: Home Care / Cleaning Agents The lecture will be dedicated to lignocellulosic biomass (crops residues and wastes) and its two main components D-xylose and D-Glucose as raw materials for the production of green surfactants i.e. alkylpolyglycosides. Alkylpolyglucosides (APG) surfactants have been industrially developed since the last 80’s. This lecture will present recent developments in the field of alkylpolyglycosides focusing on D-xylose based equivalent molecules or APG formulation improvements. The context of alkylpolyglycosides uses and noteworthy the preparation of glucose and/or pentose based surfactants will be discussed. The recent progresses on Fischer glycosylation and on the conversion of lignocellulosic polysaccharides into various alkyl glycosides will be addressed. This lecture will provide also a discussion of various surfactant properties that can be displayed following the nature of the process, the sugar based material (xylans, lignocellulosic biomass, D-xylose and D-Glucose monomers). The application fields, health benefits and the ecological profile of the alkylpolyglycosides thus obtained will be discussed. The context of biorefinery for production of these green surfactant will be also presented and will highlight the progress done by the industry to improve ecology when producing and using these green surfactants in detergents.

Spoken Language: English Category: Home Care / Cleaning Agents Humans spend 90% of their lives indoors. This close contact between people and the fear of microscopic organisms has driven us to keep our indoor environments as clean as possible.  Unfortunately, this results in the use of harsh chemical cleaners that are designed to kill the microorganisms all around us. Scientific studies suggest that microbes are critical to our wellbeing and that reduced exposure to microbial diversity is hypothesized to underlie adverse health effects. Given these observations, it is time to rethink how we treat our microbial cohabitants. We are developing cleaning solutions aimed at harnessing the natural cleaning potential of select microbes, while also considering the microbiome of our homes and the natural state to which our indoor spaces should return.   Our work focuses on creating probiotic compatible cleaning chemistry formulations that can seed the indoor environment with beneficial microbes. These formulations are designed such that the organisms (spore state) remain viable during storage but have the potential to germinate and become active once applied. We show that specific cleaning chemistry can support instantaneous cleaning of visible soils and that active probiotics are capable of secreting enzymes that break down a variety of kitchen soils and stains. Furthermore, using a suite of microbiological assays, from surface contact plating to DNA sequencing, we show that the probiotics from these cleaners can be isolated from surfaces long after the cleaning is finished. This cleaning process contributes to a naturalization of the microbiome in our homes, such that the odds of touching a disease-causing organism versus a probiotic on the home surface could be a million to one. With technology consciously designed to support the cleaning potential of microbes, we can begin to embrace our microbial cohabitants and provide a sustainable alternative to the harmful cleaners currently in use. 

Spoken Language: English Category: Home Care / Cleaning Agents The innovative easy-to-clean concept with hydrophilic protective layers, which are formed by functional collagen peptides on cleaned surfaces, enables the formulation of more environmentally friendly cleaning agents that work effectively even under mild pH conditions. In addition to superior cleaning results, extended cleaning cycles, lower water consumption and simplified cleaning are already documented advantages. The harmonization of the surfactant-protein film interaction has proven to be an important key for successful formulations. The choice of surfactant significantly influences the hydrophilicity of the protective layer. Interestingly, depending on the collagen peptide concentration, cleaners can have different surface affinities combined with comparable surface tension. For different cleaning formulations with constant surfactant content, both an increase and a reduction of the contact angle on a ceramic tile were observed depending on the peptide concentration – despite nearly constant surface tension. This led to clear differences in the effectiveness of the cleaners. Further studies examined whether the protein film may promote the growth or survival of microorganisms on a cleaned surface or if it perhaps can also inhibit it. For this purpose, the growth of various specified test bacteria was compared on different surfaces. The first results show that ready-to-use product formulations can be equipped with the protein-induced easy-to-clean effect without having any adverse effects on the bacterial load on the surface in practice. In addition, it might be even possible to transport or fix active substances via the protein film to cleaned surfaces, which could temporarily protect these surfaces against pathogenic substances.

Spoken Language: English Category: Home Care / Cleaning Agents The hygiene awareness of consumers has increased not only since the corona crisis. While the effect of biocidal products on different groups of microorganisms has been well investigated, no data on the antimicrobial effects of common household cleaners have been published. As part of a study, the antimicrobial effect of various cleaners on three surfaces (stainless steel, ceramic, polypropylene) was examined, based on the requirements of DIN EN 13697. The test organisms Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae and Escherichia coli were used to test the bactericidal activity. The fungicidal activity was assessed using Candida albicans and Aspergillus brasiliensis. For comparison, the surface tests were carried out with and without mechanical action in the presence of high organic loads (3.0 g/l bovine serum albumin) and a negative control (water of standardized hardness). The logarithmic germ reduction was calculated to determine the antimicrobial effect. For all microorganisms, except for C. albicans and S. aureus, a reduction by the cleaners could be determined even without mechanical action. Regardless of the surface used, the application of the tested products resulted in a high logarithmic reduction (4-8 log-levels) for E. coli, E. hirae and P.aeruginosa. An additional mechanical action increased the hygienic effectiveness for all cleaners and surfaces. A difference in the logarithmic reduction in relation to the tested surfaces was especially found for A. brasiliensis. Here the logarithmic reduction was highest for all cleaners on stainless steel.

Spoken Language: English Category: Home Care / Disinfectant Agents The coronavirus pandemic has brought renewed attention to the importance of hand hygiene. Health and governmental authorities worldwide stress the potential of conscientious hygienic practices, like those recommended by the World Health Organization, to slow the spread of COVID-19. Thorough handwashing is an essential practice, as are "social distancing" habits such as forgoing handshakes, kisses and other forms of greeting that involve physical contact. Disinfectant products providing a convenient means of sanitization when handwashing is not possible are also important. But given the need for frequent hand cleansing to avoid infection, many disinfecting hand rubs are too harsh and drying to the skin. There is a need in the market for solutions that deliver both antimicrobial efficacy and gentleness. Many disinfectant hand rubs and sprays use high levels (>70%) of alcohol in order to deliver disinfectant properties and rapid evaporation. These high levels of ethanol dry out the skin with frequent use. Ethanol content of 40% is generally sufficient to achieve quick evaporation, but too low to provide proper disinfection of the hands. However, when combined with lactic acid, 40% ethanol will eliminate germs, evaporate quickly and have a milder effect on the skin. Only eight different BPR type 1 products are registered today. Of those eight, only a few are safe, natural biocidal ingredients available for producing disinfectant hand soaps and gels, and even fewer are both effective and mild to the skin. Lactic acid is a natural, safe and effective PT1 registered biocide that enables the creation of lower-pH hand soaps and gels (pH 3 – 4.5) offering safety, mildness and antimicrobial efficacy without the use of aggressive biocides. This presentation looks at options for formulating products that help consumers protect their health without harshness to their skin.

Spoken Language: English Category: Home Care / Detergents The trend to develop products using sustainable raw materials continues to gain momentum in home and personal care applications.  This presents the challenge of finding suitable ingredients and developing formulations that meet these demands and yet still provide the performance and experience the consumer expects.  Furthermore, the potential introduction of regulations around synthetic polymers and increasing consumer pressure to reduce environmental impact of household products amplifies these formulation challenges. In meeting these challenges, formulators may have to consider many alternative raw materials which may not remain homogeneously distributed and require stabilization.  For example, in liquid laundry detergents, trying to use more renewable and sustainable materials may require the suspension and stabilization of alternative decorative materials, opacifiers and active materials, and using naturally derived solutions to achieve this has previously been problematic.  This is especially difficult in highly concentrated surfactant systems without adversely affecting the viscosity and pour properties of the product. A particular challenge is the issue around opacifiers in detergents; current opacifier technologies are essentially self-stabilizing, but alternative opacifiers often require some mechanism to stabilize them and keep homogeneously distributed. This presentation will discuss how CELLULON™ Fermentation Derived Cellulose (FDC) technology can help meet these challenges.  FDC is a unique, sustainable and pure form of cellulose produced by the fermentation of corn-syrup based media with the bacterium Komagataeibacter xylinus. It is a pure cellulose, chemically identical to plant-derived cellulose, but FDC fibers are produced as a 3-dimensional, highly reticulated net-like structure, giving a far higher surface area by weight ratio.  This net-like structure allows the FDC to create a true yield value at low concentrations in formulations containing surfactants, even with little or no water, and provide reliable stabilization of components with minimal or no impact on the finished product’s viscosity and dispersibility.

During the SEPAWA® CONGRESS, SEPAWA® e.V. organize a Scientific Poster Session. Authors have the opportunity to present their poster. Find further information on the page: Poster Presentations