domingo, 4 de mayo de 2008

NATURAL BASED INGREDIENTS FOR PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS

Organic, Green, Natural, all characteristics we would like to have for the chemical industry. Well, at least cosmetics and personal care products are closer. One example is the new line of Polyamides, which are family related to proteins in chemical structures, that are offered as thickeners in the formulations of Mascara, Sunscreen lotions, Anti-aging Lotions and Lipsticks. These low molecular weight Polymers are nature-based, skin-friendly, easy to incorporate can turn almost any liquid into a clear soft solid and allow the formation of emulsions with little or no surfactants. Actually some are lipophilic and therefore water repellent while some are hydrophilic and therefore water dispersible or water soluble. They provide enhanced gloss,a unique skin feel, insensitive to pH and electrically neutral. In general they are composed of polymeric chains formed by reaction of diamines with long chain di-acids, that can form tridimensional structures through Hydrogen bonding when in solution.
For more information see www.happi.com magazine, February 08 issue.

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GREEN CHEMICALS

The Green Seal certification is granted by the organization with that name and has a great number of members contributing with the requirements to pass a raw material or a chemical product as "green". Generally for a material to be green, has to comply with a series of characteristics like: near neutral pH, low volatility, non combustible, non toxic to aquatic life, be biodegradable as measured by oxygen demand in accordance with the OECD definition.
Also the materials have to meet with toxicity and health requirements regarding inhalation, dermal and eye contact. There is also a specific list of materials that are prohibited or restricted from formulations, like ozone-depleting compounds and alkylphenol ethoxylates amongst others. Please go to http://www.greenseal.com/ for complete information on their requirements.
For information on current issues regarding green chemicals, see the blog from the Journalist Doris De Guzman, in the ICIS at: http://www.icis.com/blogs/green-chemicals/.
Certification is an important — and confusing — aspect of green cleaning. Third-party certification is available for products that meet standards set by Green Seal, EcoLogo, Energy Star, the Carpet & Rug Institute and others.
Manufacturers can also hire independent labs to determine whether a product is environmentally preferable and then place the manufacturer’s own eco-logo on the product; this is called self-certification. Finally, some manufacturers label a product with words like “sustainable,” “green,” or “earth friendly” without any third-party verification.
“The fact that there is not a single authoritative standard to go by adds to the confusion,” says Steven L. Mack M.Ed., director of buildings and grounds service for Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
In www.happi.com of June 2008 edition, there is a report of Natural formulating markets that also emphasises the fact that registration of "green formulas" is very confused at present, due to lack of direction and unification of criteria and that some governmental instittion (in my opinion the EPA) should take part in this very important issue.