IOI Oleo offers a safe vegan ester that forms polymorphic-free layers to control blooming – the crystallisation process in cosmetic formulas. By Aurélien Tahon, Julien Janson, Grégoire Amice and Insa Waller
The future of sustainable cosmetics relies greatly on successful water-free concepts like solids, balms and sticks. These formulations require natural waxes or triglycerides to provide the necessary hardness, performance and stability. Yet these precise materials cause millions of (lip) sticks and balms to be thrown away every year. Why? Their polymorphic nature leads to changes in their microscopic crystalline structure, in turn leading to macroscopic defaults like white superficial spots, known as the ‘blooming effect’.
What is blooming?
Blooming occurs when certain solid components of a material mixture change their state of crystallinity at microscopic level, leading to a change in macroscopic level observed as white spots. Materials that cause blooming in cosmetic sticks are predominantly triglycerides such as natural butters and waxes. This effect comes from their polymorphic behaviour.
Polymorphism describes the phenomenon where a compound or element can crystallise into more than one crystal structure by keeping the same chemical composition. This results in complex crystallisation processes, which are difficult to control and influence. Current approaches can be a proper heating and cooling protocol.
However, once stored at the wrong temperature (e.g., in a hot warehouse during summer), the energy level of triglycerides changes, and blooming occurs (see figure 1).
After first solidification, crystals are tightly packed together. A high level of energy is required to keep the structure stable. But slowly over time, crystals progressively achieve a lower energy structure level, more stable, and resulting in a wider crystal structure and increasing distance between the crystals.
This visual change of crystal state can surge at any time during product lifecycle (production step, warehousing step, final use step at consumers), potentially rising online shaming of a brand name, and resulting in a total loss of consumer trust. No matter when the blooming occurs, the result is the same. Costly removal from the packaging to remelt the sticks, expensive disposal or frustrated throwing away at home – a lot of waste is produced.
This waste of resources, money and energy could even grow much bigger with the expected rise of anhydrous cosmetics containing natural waxes, consequently limiting sustainable innovation. This quality burden is rather unpredictable and is extremely complex to fully control.
How to control polymorphism?
You can’t stop blooming in formulations containing polymorphic ingredients. But you can try to control it:
- by supervising heating and cooling during production, yet with seasonal temperature variations in production plants, this option reveals extremely complex to apply.
- by reducing the concentration of polymorphic solid triglycerides, though this option quickly shows limitations in product sensory and stability.
- by introducing a polymorphic-free consistency agent, yet there was no option available until now…
DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L is a revolutionary polymorphic-free emollient ester, based on polyglycerol and stearic acid. It counteracts the negative behaviour of polymorphic ingredients as it itself never changes its microscopic crystalline structure, thus canceling undesirable defaults (see figure 2) to save millions of finished products.
Furthermore, this innovative ingredient extends final thermodynamic stability. It increases production output by reducing out-of-specification waste.
Besides its easy capacity to be combined, DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L is broadly compatible with all cosmetic ingredients, especially commonly used waxes. Furthermore, no matter the method and how often this ingredient is cooled or heated, it will always be on the same energy level and therefore, show the same stable form, crystal structure and size over time (figure 3). This gives formulators the worry-free flexibility they seek for more sustainable concepts and offers quality controllers the peace of mind they need to ensure constant production quality.
Polymorphic-free ingredient offering multifunctional benefits
DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L helps to control polymorphism while offering several additional benefits to formulators, consumers and environment.
Benefits for formulators:
DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L comes in easy-to-handle, dust-free flakes melting around 60°C. It is widely applicable for all kinds of balms, sticks or solid formulations. This innovative lipid doesn’t require new processes or total replacement of polymorphic ingredients such as waxes. On the contrary, it can be effortlessly combined with them in two simple ways to avoid complex reformulations and therefore optimising costs. Firstly, as a simple small addition to an existing formula, DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L won’t increase the overall viscosity but will contribute to controlling the crystallisation process to counteract blooming effect. Secondly, as a partial substitution of total wax share in high wax content formulas like sticks (i.e., 30% or more).
Additional to cancelling the undesirable blooming default, DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L offers a lower melting point compared to commonly used waxes (e.g., candelilla, carnauba or sunflower wax). Therefore, it provides a higher gliding and pay-off and awards the final sensory with a softer feel on lips, eyes, and skin due to its emollient-like properties.
DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L is produced according to strictest GMP standards, ensuring consistent batch-to-batch quality. Odourless and not prone to seasonal variations in colour values (unlike waxes), it grants constant base quality to colour and care production processes while increasing their stability.
Its INCI (Polyglyceryl-3 Tetrastearate) complies with the European Cosmetic regulation and is in accordance with most other local legislations in place including US, Canada, EU, Australia, Korea, and Japan.
Environmental benefits:
This solid lipid also cares about environmental challenges. It is a natural ingredient with a natural origin index (NOI) of 1.0 according to the ISO 16128 standard and is conform to Cosmos and Natrue standard. It is developed from a technology and raw materials safely used in pharmaceutical applications. Polyglycerin-3 and stearic acid are obtained from vegan and renewable sources (rapeseed, sunflower, castor, RSPO MB palm) making DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L a perfect ingredient for conventional and natural cosmetics.
Consumer-perceivable benefits:
Penetrometer tests (ASTM D1321) showed that sticks using DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L offer a softer texture, resulting in enhanced gliding on skin and a more pleasant pay-off.
Positively influencing deep skin moisturisation (MoistureMeterEpiD test), this sensorial film-former confers a protective skin barrier effect (Tewameter® test) in harmony with nature. This benefit has been evaluated by an external certified third-party laboratory in an in-vivo study on 20 volunteers under controlled conditions. A stick containing 15% DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L and 15% waxes was compared to a benchmark containing 30% of waxes combined with 70% of Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride.
As shown in figure 4, benchmark stick leads to a significant reduction of TEWL. However, the stick containing 15% DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L also leads to a significant (***p<0,001) reduction of TEWL 1 hour after application.
This shows that DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L is a very good film-former, diminishes TEWL, as efficient as waxes. DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L is available in South Africa from CJP Chemicals.
Conclusion
IOI Oleo‘s latest innovation DYNASAN® CrystalCONTROL L is a revolutionary solid lipid, designed from patented technologies and manufactured in Germany under Pharmaceutical GMP production.
Based on natural polyglycerol and stearic acid, this safe vegan ester forms polymorphic-free layers controlling crystallisation processes in cosmetic formulas. This film-forming deep-moisturising emollient will therefore transform the industry by saving millions of products (e.g., lipsticks) from being unnecessarily wasted due to the “blooming” default, consequently growing trust of consumers in brands.
Furthermore, it enhances final sensory with higher gliding and pay-off, making this formulator’s jewel a must to allow worry-free development of steady-quality sustainable solid cosmetics.
