Interview with Jonathan Rabiei, Business Development Manager, Emerald Kalama Chemical

Jonathan Rabiei, Business Development Manager
Emerald Kalama Chemical

How do you define and understand the term “Consumer Friendly Preservation”?

Many consumers are concerned about the impact that products could have on their health, their families, and the environment. As a result, they prefer to purchase products that reflect their values for safety and sustainability. Products must be effectively preserved to protect against microbial contamination, as well as biodegradable, low toxicity, gentle on the skin, and non-allergenic. 

The consumer friendly approach to preservation takes these needs into account. It is the prime reason for the surge in demand we are experiencing for our newly registered product, Kalaguard® SB sodium benzoate for home care. Formulators must consider the full formula to create robustly preserved products that inhibit microbial growth. This includes using consumer friendly preservative chemistries, such as Kalaguard® SB, in combination with formulation considerations that impact microbes: pH, water activity, surfactant selection, bioburden of ingredients, boosters, and multifunctionals.

How are new regulatory changes influencing the formulation of home care products?

Health and sustainability concerns have driven a major shift in the preservative landscape, causing many traditional preservatives to be scrutinized or phased out. For example, isothiazolinones have been widely adopted as alternatives to parabens and formaldehyde donors, but MIT and MCIT are now facing restrictions due to concerns for skin sensitization. Formulators are working with a smaller number of antimicrobial actives. To close that gap, they can adopt hurdle technologies and multifunctionals, which can enhance the effectiveness of a registered preservative. Unlike in the past, preservation must be considered up front, because many aspects of the formulation can impact preservative efficacy.

What role do multifunctionals play in addressing these changes?

Multifunctionals provide a number of functional performance benefits with a single product, which can help to shorten ingredient lists to meet consumer demand for cleaner labels. While they do not provide preservation on their own, they can make registered preservatives more effective. For example, Emerald® X7 Multifunctional can be used to enhance the efficacy of Kalaguard® SB sodium benzoate in home care products, providing sufficient preservation at higher pH levels (up to pH 7). Emerald® X7 also boosts cleaning power, greasy stain removal, stability, and ease of processing, resulting in high performing, effectively preserved products. Other examples of multifunctionals can include chelators, skin conditioners, surfactants, stabilizers, and process aids.

What do you anticipate for the next generation of innovative formulating?

One exciting area is the potential for more ingredients to become bio-based. Some consumers have a preference for products with natural ingredients, which are perceived as green. In many cases, product manufacturers can meet this need using nature-identical ingredients that are synthetically produced, making them practical and cost effective, while still being identical to compounds found in nature. However, new technologies may make it feasible to bio-source certain raw materials that are synthetically produced today. It is an area of interest and exploration for Emerald.

Reaching your customers in times of Corona: What is your view of future marketing? How will you address your clients and potential new customers? Can Hybrid events be one way?

We have all needed to pivot and find new ways to connect safely. Virtual events are one pathway to network and share discoveries about new trends and innovations. For example, we have participated in webinars and virtual learning academies to help educate the market about new formulation methods and ingredients. The most valuable events go beyond the presentation format and engage attendees to participate through Q&A, roundtable discussion, and polling. This way, we can replicate some of the flow and dialogue of in-person events.

It’s still too early to determine how these changes will impact a post-COVID future. However, these challenging times have forced us all to innovate and grow, and it’s likely that this will have ripple effects on how we connect in the future. Even before coronavirus, the industry has been evolving to be more global and digital. By developing new tools and skillsets, we can broaden our reach and communicate with each other better. Hybrid events are a great example; they can reach a wider audience, increase the number of networking touchpoints, and facilitate conversation before, during, and after the event.

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