Functional materials: a formulas’ winning secret
Functional materials are often understated as fillers or simple selections in formulation development – but clever selection of functional materials can actually add to a product’s performance, marketing story, sensory and aesthetic acceptance. Functional materials not only build and stabilise a formulation, but they can be used to enhance perception of a product and brand loyalty from very first use; so, pay attention to those functional selections – they really can make a big product difference!
Trends we’ll see
The Innovation Zone is the place to look for the latest and greatest material launches, including those for functional materials. There are some great innovations I can mention, and some I can’t! The ones I can mention by name to look for include:
- Sulphate free surfactant solutions: consumers are increasingly asking for sulphate free foaming products while expecting luxurious cleansing powder and soft after-skin feel. Sulphate alternatives that demonstrate thickening and cleansing power with lower irritancy profiles in liquid form provide these solutions for formulators – look for Galaxy Surfactants Galsoft GLI 21
- Hydration boosting: from osmolytic, amino acid rich Genencare OSMS Pro by DuPont Industrial Biosciences, to the sustainably sourced multi-functional humectant, co-emulsifying and skin conditioning solution Liponic Bio EG-1 by Vantage Specialty Ingredients
- Innovative exfoliant, Tureen Cotton Exfoliating Millistrands by Galium Limited for gentle yet effective, microbead free exfoliation, with a ‘give back’ message supporting Indian communities
- A vegan friendly and natural alternative to carmine: Ruby Red by Biolie
What else might you see in the Innovation Zone (hint, hint…)?
While I can’t give you names, make sure you check out the innovation zone for fantastic functional solutions such as:
- a bio-sourced, natural based material to create oily gels with great temperature stability
- 100% naturally derived polymeric emulsifier for easy cold process gel-crème emulsion development
- naturally derived conditioning agents that offer a green alternative to traditional quaternary materials
And so much more! With 33 entries in the functional materials category alone, there is plenty of innovation for your next development.
Where the industry is heading in 2018: functionals
From exhibitor entries in the Innovation Zone and pre-show publicity, the must have trends for 2018 include:
- Sustainability – this has become a necessary selection criterion from consumer perspectives; and many suppliers now provide you with these materials!
- Polymeric emulsifiers – cold processing not only saves time and money, it also enables the creation of gel-crème consistencies favoured by many sectors of the market. With a range of sensory end points possible, consider a polymeric emulsifier in your next developments
- Green is good – the popularity of ‘natural’ continues to grow; and with more choice and material solutions, there is no reason not to consider some (or all) natural materials and derivatives in your next developments for additional consumer acceptance
- Hair care is on the rise – often overlooked, hair care and styling products continue to grow in market share, and the increase in hair care and styling launches this year not only gives formulators new solutions to common problems, but enables us to create high performance products like never before – watch this space!
I look forward to seeing you at in-cosmetics Global. Happy formulating!
Key words: innovation, in-cosmetics, formulation solution, natural, performance, stability, polymeric emulsifiers, sustainability