New techniques which aim to advance the formulation process will be revealed at In-Cosmetics North America, September 7-8. Beauty industry experts will take to the floor for a series of hands-on demonstrations in the Formulation Lab, to provide delegates with the latest practical guidance on how to overcome common formulation challenges. 
 
The two-day program will feature interactive presentations from The Institute of Personal Care Science as well as DSM Nutritional Products, Lonza Consumer Care, Kobo Products Inc., Lucas Meyer Cosmetics and Ashland, with specialists sharing their technical know-how, theory and practical formulation tips to help manufacturers bring innovations to market.
 
In today’s fast-paced consumer climate, a standard development time of 12-18 months for formulations is no longer acceptable for many brands. In order to provide a solution to this challenge, Belinda Carli, Director of The Institute of Personal Care Science, will run a session on “minimally disruptive formulations”. She will also show R&D professionals how to manipulate bases without impacting stability or performance, and demonstrate how to ensure suitable viscosity and foaming while incorporating innovative, active ingredients that can really set a product apart.
 
“In this competitive market”, says Belinda, “brand owners need to incorporate the latest formulation advances in extremely short time frames, to get to market first with innovative solutions, without compromising quality.”
 
Achieving Emulsion Stability
The sensorial appeal of personal care products now ranks, alongside product efficacy, as an extremely important decision driver. However, this can be difficult to achieve in some challenging and complex formulations. Aiming to give participants practical advice on how to formulate for the best possible emulsion stability will be Judy Meyer from DSM Nutritional Products. Her session, Formulating Live with Amphisol, will reveal the latest research on the mechanism of emulsification while giving tips and tricks on formulating for ultimate stability.
 
New Opportunities for Surfactants
Surfactants are the cornerstone of almost all cosmetic formulations. In recent years, the market has shown consistent growth and there are now huge opportunities, particularly when it comes to green technologies. Tapping into this trend, Victor Low from Lonza Consumer Care will present New Opportunities with Polyglycerin Technologies in Cleansing Systems, examining how Polyglyceryl ester technology represents an imaginative and consumer-relevant solution for personal care products.
 
Shade-Matching in Foundations
Color cosmetics are a ubiquitous element of the personal care products industry. Foundations, alphabet creams and concealers in particular, have grown significantly in popularity in recent years. However, achieving enriching foundation-type formulas while enabling shade-matching can be a difficult task to achieve. Kobo Products’ Applications Lab Manager, Stacey House, will demonstrate how color matching can be simplified by using the company’s Kobogels, both in the lab and in scale-up.
 
Other formulation challenges that will be covered in the Lab include Formulating with a gelling agent  by Kruti Shah of Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, which will teach participants how to work with various bases to obtain a unique skin feel, using the company’s award-winning gelling agent – Lecigel.
 
Completing the line-up will be Ashland’s Principal Scientists Edward DiAntonio and Martin S. Vethamuthu. They will demonstrate how the company’s Captivates technologies can be used with their new thickening and suspending polymer, SurfaThix N, to create a formulation that gently exfoliates skin and provides a cleansing foam when showering.
 
The In-Cosmetics North America Formulation Lab features a purpose-built, fully-functioning lab. The sessions are free to attend, but are only open to R&D professionals and finished product manufacturers. More info: 
http://www.in-cosmeticsnorthamerica.com/en/Education-overview/Formulationlab2016/