Adrian Jäger from Omya presents ingredients from natural calcium carbonate for sustainable oral care, skin care, body scrub and colour cosmetics formulations.
Key trends: Natural, organic and renewable
Natural, organic and renewable are key trends in the cosmetics and personal care market. Natural calcium carbonate products offer tailor-made solutions for colour cosmetics, skin care products and oral care applications. With its more than 130 years of expertise, Omya’s highly sophisticated processes helped to develop a broad range of functional ingredients that are suitable for the cosmetic industry. Omyacare are natural minerals produced under clean and controlled manufacturing conditions that benefit from a reduced carbon footprint and generate less waste during production.
Oral care applications
Thanks to a proprietary technology, the company’s new generation of functionalised calcium carbonate (FCC) acts as a high-efficiency carrier with controlled release properties and as an active for oral care applications. As the features of the particles such as surface area, porosity, particle shape and size can be fully controlled, a broad spectrum of particles is available. And, with applications in mind where re–mineralisation is required, a larger surface area ensures a more functional, highly reactive
product. A recrystallisation process modifies the mineral composition of cal cium carbonate such that new surface features develop and the particles become more porous, resulting in an increased surface area.
Skin care applications
Omyacare natural calcium carbonates can be incorporated into a variety of skin care product emulsions (o/w and w/o) and in anhydrous formulations (non- powder). They provide smoothness and a pleasant skin feel when incorporated into a body lotion or body cream. Moreover, body lotions can be formulated for a smoother skin feel, translucency, reduced tackiness and faster drying times. Whatever the formulation, these natural calcium carbonate products can be heated up to 85°C and homogenised without affecting its properties.
Advantages for colour care applications
The brightness and opacity of Omyacare minerals make them suitable for use in both white and coloured cosmetics. They can even be used to enhance the whitening effect of titanium dioxide. Furthermore, they are chemically and microbiologically pure, ensuring safety and compliance with the most stringent international standards. Plus, as the minerals can be used at high concentrations while still maintaining the quality of the formulation, they are cost-effective.
AUTHOR: Adrian Jäger, Business Development Manager, Omya International Reinach, Switzerland adrian.jaeger@omya.com www.omya.com