The green trend continues to gain momentum and increasingly consumers base
purchasing decisions on perceived health and environmental benefits. This is
particularly true in the cosmetic and personal care space where the number of
products carrying green claims is on the rise.
The Problem
One key class of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products is
surfactants. Used to create emulsions and microemulsions, surfactants help the
water and “oil" components to hold together in stable formulations.
There’s clearly a desire to replace conventional surfactants with
naturally derived, sustainably sourced or biodegradable alternatives but for the
cosmetic scientist the challenge of making this switch in practic...
By Guest Blogger Dr Jim Bullock , CEO of
Intelligent Formulation
It’s pretty difficult to predict the future accurately, but it’s
possible to take a systematic look at what factors are driving innovation within
particular markets and produce a useful view of how you expect things to
develop. This can help to guide your business and strategic decision-making.
At Intelligent Formulation we have
carried out a roadmapping and foresighting exercise which covers all of the
markets which use formulation technology. In consultation with formulating
companies, universities and other organisations we l...
By Sarah Gregory , Dr Steven Jones
and Prof. Steven Abbott
Syntopix recently presented at the
Intelligent Formulation event “Formulated Product Design: Kick Starting
Open Innovation". It was a great event and a brilliant way for small
businesses like ours working on innovative formulation approaches to connect
with potential partners.
For those unable to attend, the main points of the presentation given by Dr.
Steve Jones, CEO of Syntopix and Prof.
Steven Abbott, Independent Consultant, are summarised...
By Sarah Gregory
Syntopix recently attended an Intelligent Formulation
event on how to use high throughput
screening to accelerate formulation development
at which we presented a poster.
The poster summarises how Hansen Solubility Parameters
can be used to
develop topical formulations and how the process can be automated to efficiently
translate concepts into protot...
By Dr Anne Eady
In my personal view the biggest single barrier to the development of better
therapies for acne is the 20 year old FDA OTC Acne Monograph. Here I’ll
explain why I believe this regulatory document is stifling much needed
innovation in the management of this very common skin condition. Acne is unusual
in that remedies fall into two regulatory classes, medicines and cosmetics
(although these cannot be sold as acne remedies but rather as products to manage
‘breakouts’). Teenagers and their parents aren’t generally
aware of this and find it hard to discriminate between product intended to
manage a few pimples and those required to treat more severe disease. ...
By Sarah Gregory
Syntopix has joined forces with the University of Leeds
to conduct a research project into the antibacterial
activity and mechanism of action of the lipophilic antioxidant
tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ).
Working with Professor Ian Chopra
, Dr Nicki Ooi, and Dr
Alex O’Neill
, the Research and Scientific Directors of Syntopix Dr Jon Cove and Dr Anne Eady
are looking to investigate the compounds antimicrobial mode of action.
Research results will be published in a poster publication later this year at
the 50th Intersc...
By Dr Stephen Jones
When you’ve got a great idea which you’re convinced will make you
money, you have to sell it. Identification of the right partner, and finding
enough common ground to do the deal, is far from easy. There are so many doors
to knock on; lots of companies, each with an array of decision-makers. So where
do you start?
In my experience, finding doors to knock on is the easy bit. The tricky part is
making sure it’s the right door for you if they open it. Then, if
you’re invited in, it’s knowing what to say, and what you are
looking for.
I’ve stood on both sides of this particular fence. Before I joined
Syntopix in 2006, I...
By Guest Blogger Professor Steven Abbott
My experience in life is that the best things happen by accident. That’s
how I got to know Syntopix. We met through my role as a Visiting Professor at
the University of Leeds where I do work on nanofluidics and biomimetic
structures. The initial discussions were interesting but for various reasons led
to nothing. However, I happened to mention that I thought that the basic model
of how skin permeation works was fundamentally wrong and that as a chemist I see
skin as a rather poor barrier whose diffusion properties are best explained via
classical polymer diffusion. Now most cultures resent ignorant outsiders
expressing such wild ...
By Dr Nicholas Read
The axillae, or “underarms" as they are more commonly known, are often
associated with the problem of body odour. There are several reasons why this is
the case but one of the main causative factors is the large number of eccrine,
apoeccrine and apocrine sweat glands found in this region of the body (Wilke et
al. 2007). The apocrine sweat glands appear to be especially important (Troccaz
et al. 2004). These glands open onto the hair canal and secrete an oily
substance containing proteins, lipids and steroids (Wilke et al. 2007). The
fluid secreted by the apocrine glands is initially odourless but includes a
number of odour precursors (Troccaz et al....
By Sarah Gregory & Dr Anne
Eady
It’s looking like trialling cosmetics in the same way as a drug is the
vogue way to give your product competitive edge.
Procter & Gamble is the latest company to undertake a clinical study with
one of their anti-wrinkle products that is comparable to tests undertaken by
drug companies. The results, published in the scientifically respected British
Journal of Dermatology
, are impressive showing that the cosmetic product reduces wrinkles to
the same extent as a prescription medicine.
There is little doubt that consume...
