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Natural Gums, Central Ingredients in the Formulation Challenges of Tomorrow
Interview with Anna Momméja
European Zone Marketing Manager, Seppic
You have just launched a new natural gum at In-cosmetics. Can you tell us more about it?
Seppic has developed a highly thickening & moisturizing natural gum, Solagum™ GM, suitable for a wide range of galenics and textures, such as gels or emulsions. It is eco-designed, 100 % natural origin (according to the ISO 1628 norm), Cosmos approved from 100% physical process, readily biodegradable (OECD 301B), non-microplastic(1), and compliant with Chinese regulations. Finally, Solagum™ GM also respects the cutaneous microbiota and is thus ideal for all types of skin care.
What is the innovation behind ?
First, Solagum™ GM is a high quality glucomannan that is quick to hydrate, cold processable, easy to use and offers an exceptional comfort skin feel without sticky or stringy effects. If you would try it blind, you wouldn’t think that you’re applying a gel based on a natural gum on your skin. This effect is enhanced by a long-lasting moisturizing effect clinically proven for up to 24 hours. It is also a significant viscosity booster that is able to thicken natural formulas and give them smooth textures.
Secondly, Solagum™ GM is a unique glucomannan because it is purified from the tubers of Amorphophallus muelleri. This point can seem anecdotic but is very interesting for companies exporting to China since this plant is also authorized there according to STSC (Safety and Technical Standard for Cosmetics 2015).
And finally, the product manufacturing process allows getting a gum with a low pH which helps to prevent microbial contamination overtime and provides better pH stability in formulation. This is definitely an important point for the development of natural formulations.
Last year, in another interview, you were highlighting the importance of synergies and combinations between gums. What about Solagum™ GM? Can it be combined?
Solagum™ GM can be combined, indeed. It can be used with our coated xanthan gum, Solagum™ AX by instance. There is a strong viscosity building synergy. It may be even too strong for some applications and cannot match every formulation brief, but both gums can be used together and this combination achieves better results in terms of texture than the combination with a standard xanthan gum.
Otherwise, Solagum™ GM can be also combined with some other natural gums, such as alginates or sclerotium gum, to create very nice smooth textures and even get synergies. In these configurations, first, you really get viscosity boosting effects and stability while the respective polymers, used alone, can’t achieve it. This point is very interesting as high viscosities for natural formulations remain a challenge. Secondly, Solagum™ GM brings a very soft but rich skin feel, without greasiness, that is well suited for luxurious, rich and / or anti-aging textures, while combinations with other gum enhance the playtime than when used alone.
We still have many other options to explore, but yes, Solagum™ GM can definitely be combined and create very valuable synergies for natural based formulations.
You compare xanthan gum with “your coated xanthan gum, Solagum™ AX”. Can you tell us more about the differences between these two products that sound similar?
Of course. Solagum™ AX is a xanthan gum coated by another gum, the Acacia Senegal Gum. This process is unique in the beauty care industry and completely changes the properties of the gum versus a standard xanthan gum grade. Solagum™ AX thickens formulations just slightly but on the other hand it is a very good stabilizing and suspensive natural gum, thus helping the long term stability of the formulation. Furthermore, the coating also changes the texture created which is less stringy and less sticky than a gel of xanthan. It is a very helpful ingredient to work around on stability challenging formulations, especially in skin care, sun care or even make-up.
And what about hair care? The 2023 annual report of IKW about the German personal care market confirmed once again that hair care is the biggest segment in Germany, before skin care and make-up. Do you have any recommendations for natural polymers for this specific application?
Solagum™ TARA, the third natural gum of our Solagum™ range, fits very well the needs of hair care formulations. It is non-ionic, easy to formulate in conditioners and masks, and presents benefits for the hair fiber such as hair straightening maintenance and volume control. It is biodegradable (OECD 301 F) which is a key point for rinse-off products, 100% natural according to ISO 16128, Cosmos and Natrue conform and China compliant.
It sounds like your Solagum™ range covers many needs of the personal care market. Do you also have examples of formulations to demonstrate the sensorial and performance benefits you mentioned? Are they available for our readers?
Yes. We have many illustrative formulations available. Most of them are on our website and they can be selected according to different filters such as markets (skin care, hair care, sun care…), naturality according to ISO 16128, cold-processability, claims or galenics and of course ingredients. This is a good tool to get inspiration. However, if you have a very specific request, the easiest thing is to directly contact Seppic to get best recommendations and samples of the formulas of interest. This is the best way to get to know our natural gums.
1 Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 on synthetic polymer microparticles, adopted by the European Commission on September 25, 2023.
