New for SCC Annual Meeting: Optics, China Regulations and Hair Growth

By: Rachel L. Grabenhofer

Posted: December 18, 2012

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Sponsored by Croda Inc., the Joseph P. Ciaudelli Award went to Roger McMullen, PhD (Ashland Inc.) and Janusz Jachowicz, PhD (Better Cosmetics LLC), for their paper examining tryptophan fluorescence in hair. The Des Goddard Award, also sponsored by Lonza, was presented to John Chiefari, PhD (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) for his work on RAFT Technology as a way to develop polymers for cosmetic formulations.

The Society of Cosmetic Chemists Award, sponsored by The Hallstar Company, went to Gary Agisim (Pfizer) and co-authors for their work on improving the taste of sunscreen filters in lip balm. Lastly, the Frontiers of Science award, sponsored by Cosmetics & Toiletries, was presented to Rox Anderson, MD (Harvard Medical School). “With our mission to present cutting edge science that advances technologies for successful product outcomes, this presentation fits the profile of Cosmetics & Toiletries very well,” said Rachel Grabenhofer, editor.

China Regulations

The afternoon session transported attendees into China’s regulatory landscape, where Mike Fevola, PhD (Johnson & Johnson) led the charge as session moderator. Kenneth Marenus, PhD (Estée Lauder), started with the basics, explaining that regulations for imported cosmetic products involve the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) within the Ministry of Health and the general Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) government agencies. The responsibility for product safety is on the government, and while the market in China is relatively young, it is growing rapidly, which puts heavy responsibility on an already burdened system.

Considering these aspects along with the recast of European Union (EU) directive, and the impact on research and development becomes profound. “The idea of global accepted formulations is slowly eroding to the point where constant reformulation may become the order of the day,” wrote Marenus. “The similarities in the EU and China approaches to regulation are striking in terms of data requirements…The industry needs to come to terms with this emergent regulatory reality in order to provide counterbalance.”

Additional presentations on regulations in China included Victor Mencarelli’s (BASF), which looked at the opportunities and impediments in this market; Yun Shao’s, PhD (Kobo Products Inc.), with an overview of cosmetic ingredient regulations; and Francine Lamoriello’s (Personal Care Products Council), describing “China today,” including socio-economic factors of this important market. Attendees of this session noted it was a topic of great interest, although to some, it created more questions. One attendee noted, “it seemed to be a case of, ‘yes, but…’ or ‘no, but…’ for many of the questions attendees asked during the Q&A session.

The session wrapped up and many attendees retired to the evening Supplier’s Cocktail Reception for networking and music, and to catch up with old friends.

Scientific Session: Day II

Sunscreens: Formulating and sunscreen topics kicked off the second day’s session, moderated by Akshay Talati (Estée Lauder Companies). Pascal Delrieu, PhD (Kobo Products) presented the keynote lecture on developing non-nano composite UV powders for safe and effective sunscreens. Due to concerns over the penetration of nanomaterials, several companies have developed technologies with “non-nano” labels. Delrieu described an ultrafine TiO2 fully dispersed and entrapped within an acrylate copolymer matrix, resulting in a powder having a mean particle size of 3-9 microns, with none smaller than 100 nm. The technology showed SPF results as effective as dispersions of the ultrafine TiO2 and better than standard TiO2 powder. Skin feel and transparency effects also were presented. This presentation gained attendees’ interest, as it was a topic of conversation throughout the day.

Paul Staniland, PhD (Croda Europe) used electron spin resonance spectroscopy to measure UV- and high energy visible (HEV) light-initiated radical generation in skin substitutes. His work indicated that both UVA and UVB light cause free radicals, and that an enhanced UVA-TiO2 remarkably reduced the number of free radicals in skin due to its scattering effects in the HEV region. Li Zhang, PhD (The Dow Chemical Company) examined water resistance in sunscreen emulsions to determine why sunscreen films lose water resistance properties over time. Results indicated that preventing the re-emulsification of the film kept it in place longer, and that desired sensory benefits can be maintained with water resistance properties.