Shiseido Employs Iced Coffee-inspired Emulsion Technology

Shiseido has developed a low energy emulsifying technology inspired by the way iced coffee is produced. Rather than heating two immiscible liquids to mix with each other, the company makes a small amount of thick emulsion first and slowly thins it afterward.

Therefore, rather than combining separated oil phase and water phases, the emulsification components such as water, oil, moisturizing agents and emulsifiers are then added to water components such as humectants and water. This method, which was developed by Tsutomu Araki, a research scientist at the Shiseido's Research Center, has less liquid to heat, thereby reducing the thermal energy required for its manufacture. In addition, it reduces the energy required for high-speed stirring.

The first cosmetic product using this emulsification method, the Rosarium Rose Body Milk, took nearly one year before mass production. Research is continuing in order to apply this low-energy emulsification to various other cosmetics.

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