At this year’s in-cosmetics in Paris, April 2-4, Dow presented its latest personal care ingredient innovations. Among the product launches announced there were Dow’s first bio-based hair fixative, MaizeCare™ Style Polymer, as well as the planet savvy DOWSIL™ FA PEPS Silicone Acrylate, and EPITEX™99 Polymer, the company‘s brand new hybrid film former.

 

“With a strong theme of sustainability weaving through our newly launched solutions, we are engaging customers and partners at in-cosmetics on a pivotal question: How do we apply our common passion and expertise to advance the wellbeing of people and planet?” summarizes Fabienne Bizeray, Dow’s Global Strategic Marketing Manager Skin & Sun. “Consumers are increasingly focusing on the sustainability attributes of everyday products. At in-cosmetics we invite the industry to work with us in creating a positive impact on the world.”

 

The trend towards naturally-derived ingredients continues to rise. By launching two new technologies, DOWSIL™ FA PEPS Silicone Acrylate and MaizeCare™ Style Polymer, Dow is reaching out to personal care brands that want to engage with increasingly eco-conscious consumers.

 

DOWSIL™ FA PEPS Silicone Acrylate: proven efficiency and planet savvy
The number of new product launches containing natural film formers in color cosmetics continues to grow. This is helped by the adoption of ISO 16128 standard – guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients – and supported by the rise of product sustainability scoring metrics used to assess sustainability performance. These and other trends are driving demand for new chemistries that can impart their sustainability benefits on leading-edge formulations.

 

DOWSIL™ FA PEPS is Dow’s new Silicone Acrylate film former in a bio-based carrier. By using a renewable-based carrier the technology enables the production of more environmentally sound make-up and skin care products. The use of DOWSIL™ FA PEPS in formulations allows brands to effectively address the need for improved sustainability profiles of their products by reducing their environmental impact.

 

DOWSIL™ FA PEPS Silicone Acrylate meets the desired performance attributes in color cosmetics. Superior water and sebum repellency and excellent film integrity and rub-off resistance translate into long-duration benefits. High film elasticity delivers a comfortable wear experience while excellent water vapor permeability allows obtaining a non-occlusive film.

 

MaizeCare™ Style Polymer: a bio-based, performing hair fixative
Dow’s newly introduced MaizeCare™ Style Polymer is derived from waxy corn starch and the company’s first bio-based hair fixative for the personal care industry. Sourced from a renewable stock it is considered 100% natural according to the ISO 16128 standard.

 

MaizeCare™ Style Polymer is redefining what a bio-based polymer can achieve. In several comparative application tests the polymer demonstrated similar or superior performance versus synthetic hair fixatives such as Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in terms of holding style, long lasting curl retention, and long lasting resistance to humidity.

 

MaizeCare™ Style Polymer is an easy to use powder that forms a high-performance film in aqueous dispersions and can be adapted to various product formats. As an ingredient it supports unique texture creation and enables consumer hair styling preferences

 

All in all, Dow’s first bio-based hair fixative MaizeCare™ Style Polymer enables brand owners to develop highly performing styling products and to strengthen their equity on product benefits and natural positioning.

 

EPITEX™ 99 Polymer: next-generation skin and sun care film former
EPITEX™ 99 Polymer is a brand new hybrid building on Dow’s combined heritage of organic and silicone chemistry. This water-based film former is designed to deliver the long lasting wear performance of traditional silicone acrylate technology while being affordable for mass market cosmetics.

 

“Making high-performance care products affordable is another kind of positive difference we seek to enable,” noted Fabienne Bizeray. “A holistic assessment of sustainability must go beyond ingredients alone. Topics like inclusion are being seen as part of the United Nations sustainability agenda and should account for important social impacts as well.”

 

EPITEX™ 99 Polymer can help brand owners achieve formulations that protect and please. The polymer enables sought-after qualities such as high water and sebum repellency, flexibility, and rub-off-resistance. Due to its proven compatibility with common cosmetic ingredients, EPITEX™ 99 Polymer can be easily incorporated in popular product types such as face and sun care or color cosmetics.

 

Dow’s new generation of hybrids is particularly suited to meet demand for superior performance while improving the availability of quality care for as many consumers as possible.

 

To learn about Dow Home and Personal Care’s ingredient solutions for more sustainable personal care products, visit www.consumer.dow.com/personalcare and follow @DowHomePersonal.

 

About Dow Home and Personal Care Solutions

The Dow Home and Personal Care business (part of the Dow Consumer Solutions Portfolio) offers unique innovations that empower brand owners around the world to create products with exceptional performance and exciting new benefits consumers can see and feel. Our expansive portfolio serves a wide range of applications across home and personal care markets from skin and hair care to fabric care and beyond. Our novel solutions help enable products that are unique and memorable, and meet the growing demands of today’s consumers. We continue to bring forward innovative technologies and formulation solutions that differentiate our customers’ products, enhance the consumer experience and sustain the environment. With business centers, research and development (R&D), manufacturing plants and customer applications centers around the globe, Dow has the expertise and foundation to foster global and local innovations. Please visit consumer.dow.com for more information.

 

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) combines science and technology knowledge to develop premier materials science solutions that are essential to human progress. Dow has one of the strongest and broadest toolkits in the industry, with robust technology, asset integration, scale and competitive capabilities that enable it to address complex global issues. Dow’s market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates and plastics businesses deliver a broad range of differentiated technology-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow is a subsidiary of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), a holding company comprised of Dow and DuPont with the intent to form three strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty sectors. More information can be found at www.dow.com.