Time for change

Historically tricky to formulate yet perennially popular in cosmetic, skincare and sun care formulations, w/si emulsifiers are essential for creating a luxurious skin

feel. Couple problematic processing with increased consumer appetite for sustainable ingredients and formulators can be left with a headache: how to balance cost and process efficiency with green demand to achieve stable, scalable results. Independent European manufacturer Cornelius has combined its expertise with extensive market research in the personal care sector to meet this need head-on with “Cor-Sil Avance”, a new w/si emulsifier. As we move into the “new normal” Cornelius challenges traditional formulating behaviour, believing that emulsifiers should work smarter not harder.

Reduced ingredients

In today’s personal care market, simple is almost certainly better. Slow beauty represents a conscious effort to reduce excessive consumption of products.

Behind the scenes in manufacturing, this translates to “less is more” and smart suppliers are looking at ways to pare back raw materials and ingredients to contribute to what may become a more streamlined beauty industry. Emulsifier, elastomer, film former, dimethicones, co-emulsifiers, electrolytes and water: water-in-silicone formulations can’t happen without such a complex addition of ingredients. Or can they? The new emulsifier strips the chassis back to simply Cor-Sil Avance (PEG-7 Dimethicone Ether), Dimethicone and water. By removing the need for extra ingredients, Cornelius delivers up to a 40% reduction in raw material costs and simplifies the overall process. Stripping back the chassis does require one additional investment in return: a willingness to change formulating behaviour. Ready to offer hints, tips and tailored advice to partners, the company has created multiple example formulations, such as a fresh-feeling foundation, a facial sunscreen with organic and in-organic UV absorbers and a gel crème moisturiser with essential oils as examples of what can be done.

Savings across the board

Consumers are looking for holistic simplification. New product development of the future will adapt to this trend by adopting the same principles. The benefits of the new emulsifier do not stop at reduced ingredients, the molecular structure unlocks potential to simplify process, strip out overall cost, improve energy efficiency and liberate capacity. Traditional processing methods typically require dripped or metered addition and stirring before homogenisation. Cor-Sil Avance eliminates this need and reduces lab and production time by up to 50%. In terms of energy, up to 50% on process heating can be saved due to the ingredient’s ability to emulsify at room temperature. The benefit of cold processing alone saves on both production time and costs with the various operational sustainability benefits associated with it, too.

Simplicity that formulators can trust

Formulators may be wondering whether this level of simplicity comes with a compromise sensorially. Quite the contrary – the high performing emulsifier retains premium skin feel throughout. The molecular structure creates quick breaking emulsions with an ultra-light feel and no pilling as it dries.

Scale up, which has traditionally required a high degree of care, is up to five times more efficient on emulsions of varying viscosity. There are two potential manufacturing routes available: traditional slow water addition at low rpm, followed by faster rpm emulsification or fast homogenisation (70-80% internal water phase). Users of Cor-Sil can undertake either route, safe in the knowledge that the formulation will remain stable with no requirement for delicate handling.

W/Si emulsions: a sustainable future

Tied up with the need for simplification in order to generate cost, process and resource efficiency, sustainability is a global theme intrinsic to all industries. The potential savings is underpinned by a drive toward increased sustainability. Cornelius is currently working on further iterations of the ingredient that have even better eco-credentials, while promoting increased awareness around the benefits of silicone usage in formulation to combat common misconceptions, and leading the industry on sustainability best practice in new pro-duct development.

As personal care product formulators and their manufacturing supply chains adapt to the “new normal”, unleashing the potential to scale up quickly, resource efficiently and robustly opens opportunities for companies to enter new markets and applications with ease.