MONHEIM, Germany—The global sun care market has grown over recent years with higher SPF products becoming increasingly important. Manufacturers looking to meet the needs of the ever more demanding consumer require high-performance ingredients and effective control over their products’ sensory properties. Cognis Care Chemicals aims to help its customers in the sun care market by developing solutions that combine these key performance benefits with ease of formulation.
The skin is highly sensitive to the dangers linked to sun exposure in particular UV radiation such as premature aging. This is why sun care manufacturers are looking to develop products with high-UV protection levels, which spread easily and absorb quickly leaving a pleasant after feel. Cognis utilizes emollients, emulsifiers and active ingredients that work together to enhance overall product performance and maximize the effectiveness of sun protection filters. Cognis’ sun care formulations offer starting points for a range of SPFs in various application formats from lotions and sprays to creams, mousses and gels.
Added benefits for quality sun care
Laboratoires Sérobiologiques (LS), the active ingredient business of Cognis Care Chemicals, offers a wide range of high-quality actives with many unique benefits applicable to sun protection products. DN-AGE LS 9547 is a botanical complex, extracted from the leaves of Cassia Alata, recommended for the use in antiage care, to protect cellular DNA against UV radiations. SUNACTYL LS 9610, a multi-active botanical and biotechnological complex, is recommended for the use in anti-UV stress preparations for the face and sun care products. For manufacturers wishing to make multifunctional product claims, active ingredients are available from LS to support skin firming and slimming, sun tan maintenance, radiance enhancement or even antiaging claims as well as a specific product range dedicated to very sensitive skin.
With consumers’ increasing focus on wellness and a desire for healthy looking, the self tanning market has exploded over recent years with the introduction of daily tanning products. Cognis is proud to offer Ultragel 300 and Cosmedia CTH(E) which are both ideal for this product category. Ultragel 300 allows the formation of clear gels at the acidic pH necessary for self tanning products while Cosmedia CTH(E) is ideal for stabilizing lotions and creams at low pH.
Choosing the right emollient and emulsifier
When developing a sun care formulation, choosing the right emollient is particularly important, as it can enhance the sun screen solubility, pigment dispersion and SPF. Cognis offers a range of emollients which can be used individually or in combination to aid chemical sun screen solubility and disperse physical sunscreens. Cetiol CC offers an excellent dry, soft and silky skin-feel. Myritol 331 is ideal for “green” sun screen developments with its excellent natural profile. Cetiol B is an ideal solubilizer with great performance with some of the newer sunscreen filters available. Cetiol SenSoft, the “happy emollient”, is the right choice for facial sun care with its truly luxurious skin-feel.
Another product in Cognis’ emollient range is Cosmedia® Gel CC, which smoothes the skin’s surface, and has a melting texture with a velvety matt effect. It enhances the performance of sun care products, especially by improving water resistance. Cosmedia Gel CC works as a suspending agent; it stabilizes emulsions, improves viscosity and thermo stability, and optimizes gel dispersion.
Cosmedia DC is a water-resistant agent from Cognis that helps the formulator to achieve water resistance whilst actually improving the sensory performance achieved. The “Switch Emulsion” technology provides fast water resistance and an additional moisture locking benefit. Cosmedia DC is compatible with ethanol; organic and inorganic filters can be used with emulsifiers of all kinds. The product makes it simple to achieve stable formulations.
Furthermore, emulsifier choice can make or break any sunscreen formulation. With Cognis’ new generation of emulsifiers you can hold it all together without any negative impact on sensory performance. Cognis recently launched Eumulgin Prisma, a high-performance emulsifier that is compatible with high levels of water-soluble sun screens and actives. For “green” sun care products, APG-based emulsifiers are available and come in liquid or solid form; Emulgade PL68/50 and Eumulgin VL75.
Andrea Tomlinson, marketing manager, Cognis, said: “Consumer awareness about the need to protect the skin from the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays is increasing every year. People want products that will prevent sun damage such as premature aging and the products really need to work. When developing innovative sun care products, we aim to support our customers with high-performing ingredients for the many different types of modern sun care formulations.”