Natural triphasic essence with light and velvety touch without silicone and mineral oil.
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Presented by: Alice LARTAUD
Natural triphasic essence with light and velvety touch without silicone and mineral oil.
A. LARTAUD1, S. PAPPATICO1, N. VERRECCHIA1, C. JEAN-PIERRE1, M. HARO1, S. RIVOIRE1
1 L'Occitane en Provence - Groupe L'Occitane, Manosque, France
For cosmetics, triphases are a technology that has existed for several years. They are composed of 3 distinct phases (1 aqueous phase and 2 oily phases). Very often, oily phases of these galenic forms include a significant proportion of silicones (dimethicone), mineral oils (paraffin oil) or their derivatives. On one hand, silicones are among the controversial ingredients because they are derived from chemical synthesis and are not easily biodegradable, which implies a negative impact on the environment. On the other hand, the mineral oils are fats of fossil origin (petroleum and coal), in fact, they are polluting and not easily biodegradable. Moreover, they may contain carcinogenic residues and are also suspected of being comedogenic.
Finding alternatives to these controversial ingredients is therefore of importance to meet consumer’s needs in terms of health and environment protection. We thus developed a triphase on a natural basis containing neither silicone nor mineral oil.
Before starting the practical study, we studied the physical mechanisms allowing to obtain a triphase galenic such as interfacial tension, the polarity of phases and the density of the phases. Then, we worked on the selection of the components and on the improvement of the interfaces with 3 great stages:
- Find a natural low density non polar oil: we selected alkanes which are cosmetic ingredients used in particular for their very light sensory properties similar to those of silicones. These raw materials are non-polar and have low density, so we sourced them and added them in a biphasic formula made castor oil and water. The immiscibility of water, castor oil and alkanes allowed us to obtain three phases.
- Find a high density polar oil combination to constitute the middle phase: we selected the castor oil known to have these two properties. Then, in order to lighten the sensoriality, we tried to couple the castor oil with another vegetable oil. For this, we tested different ratio of castor oil / sunflower oil until we found the threshold below which the percentage of castor oil could not be decreased without loosing the visual of the three phases. This allowed us to show that the most optimized weight ratio of castor oil to other vegetable oil between 3:2 and 4:1.
- Improving the interfaces: we selected two types of raw materials to improve the interfaces of our product: sea salt and glycerin. Indeed, during our studies on the biphases we had noticed a real improvement of the interfaces thanks to the salt. Due to the high density of Glycerin, it allowed to increase the density of the aqueous phase. So, the difference in density between the aqueous phase and the oily phase 1 is more important. Thus, it improved the interface between these 2 phases. To find the optimal amount of salt and glycerin we screened at different percentages of each of these two materials. With 1% salt and 10% glycerin we were able to obtain visibly flatter interfaces.
Then, we used this base (water + salt + glycerin/castor oil + sunflower oil/alkane) to develop a triphasic face essence with more than 99% of natural ingredients that we have patented. After optimization, we found the ideal proportions to obtain a velvety and light texture when applied: 8:1:1 (aqueous phase/oily phase 1/oily phase 2).
Consumer testing result on 34 women aged 22 to 61, all skin types, in Asia, immediately after application of the product showed that 97% of the panel said that the triphase formula was easy to apply and 91% found the formula to be the perfect blend for preparing the skin to receive daily cares.
This development allowed us to stop using raw materials that are dangerous for humans and the environment while maintaining the sensoriality expected by the consumer. Based on this success in developing a natural-based triphase, new applications can be envisioned such as make-up remover.
A. LARTAUD1, S. PAPPATICO1, N. VERRECCHIA1, C. JEAN-PIERRE1, M. HARO1, S. RIVOIRE1
1 L'Occitane en Provence - Groupe L'Occitane, Manosque, France
For cosmetics, triphases are a technology that has existed for several years. They are composed of 3 distinct phases (1 aqueous phase and 2 oily phases). Very often, oily phases of these galenic forms include a significant proportion of silicones (dimethicone), mineral oils (paraffin oil) or their derivatives. On one hand, silicones are among the controversial ingredients because they are derived from chemical synthesis and are not easily biodegradable, which implies a negative impact on the environment. On the other hand, the mineral oils are fats of fossil origin (petroleum and coal), in fact, they are polluting and not easily biodegradable. Moreover, they may contain carcinogenic residues and are also suspected of being comedogenic.
Finding alternatives to these controversial ingredients is therefore of importance to meet consumer’s needs in terms of health and environment protection. We thus developed a triphase on a natural basis containing neither silicone nor mineral oil.
Before starting the practical study, we studied the physical mechanisms allowing to obtain a triphase galenic such as interfacial tension, the polarity of phases and the density of the phases. Then, we worked on the selection of the components and on the improvement of the interfaces with 3 great stages:
- Find a natural low density non polar oil: we selected alkanes which are cosmetic ingredients used in particular for their very light sensory properties similar to those of silicones. These raw materials are non-polar and have low density, so we sourced them and added them in a biphasic formula made castor oil and water. The immiscibility of water, castor oil and alkanes allowed us to obtain three phases.
- Find a high density polar oil combination to constitute the middle phase: we selected the castor oil known to have these two properties. Then, in order to lighten the sensoriality, we tried to couple the castor oil with another vegetable oil. For this, we tested different ratio of castor oil / sunflower oil until we found the threshold below which the percentage of castor oil could not be decreased without loosing the visual of the three phases. This allowed us to show that the most optimized weight ratio of castor oil to other vegetable oil between 3:2 and 4:1.
- Improving the interfaces: we selected two types of raw materials to improve the interfaces of our product: sea salt and glycerin. Indeed, during our studies on the biphases we had noticed a real improvement of the interfaces thanks to the salt. Due to the high density of Glycerin, it allowed to increase the density of the aqueous phase. So, the difference in density between the aqueous phase and the oily phase 1 is more important. Thus, it improved the interface between these 2 phases. To find the optimal amount of salt and glycerin we screened at different percentages of each of these two materials. With 1% salt and 10% glycerin we were able to obtain visibly flatter interfaces.
Then, we used this base (water + salt + glycerin/castor oil + sunflower oil/alkane) to develop a triphasic face essence with more than 99% of natural ingredients that we have patented. After optimization, we found the ideal proportions to obtain a velvety and light texture when applied: 8:1:1 (aqueous phase/oily phase 1/oily phase 2).
Consumer testing result on 34 women aged 22 to 61, all skin types, in Asia, immediately after application of the product showed that 97% of the panel said that the triphase formula was easy to apply and 91% found the formula to be the perfect blend for preparing the skin to receive daily cares.
This development allowed us to stop using raw materials that are dangerous for humans and the environment while maintaining the sensoriality expected by the consumer. Based on this success in developing a natural-based triphase, new applications can be envisioned such as make-up remover.