FOCUS in the personal care sector not to increase prices, particularly of toiletries and soaps, as part of the government’s drive to control inflation. In May 2011, however, Unilever announced price adjustments for its anti-dandruff shampoo, body wash, skin lotions and body soaps, making the firm the first multinational in the China personal care products market to raise prices. The price increase is blamed on escalating production costs in China. Unilever transferred its production site inland from Shanghai to Hefei, Anhui province in an effort to cut costs, but labour costs in Anhui have also been going up. Producer margins are also affected by rising input costs. Beijing-based China Cleaning Industry Association revealed that essential materials, including vegetable oil, petrochemical products and salt, are 40% more expensive in 2011 than in 2010. Original Source: SPC, Soap, Perfumery and Cosmetics, Sep 2011, 84 (9), 18 (Website: http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/) © HPCi Media Ltd 2011
Clariant launches Touch of Nature sensory sensations for personal care applications Clariant combines natural origins with advanced sensory effects in its new “Touch of Nature” range of personal care ingredients for skin, body and hair care formulations launched on 27 Sep 2011. Embracing three product lines – Vitipure , Velsan and Zenvivo – the innovative vegetal sourced ingredients are the result of the recently announced partnership between Clariant, a leading global supplier of speciality chemicals, and KitoZyme, a leading edge manufacturer of biorefinery products. The range sets a new benchmark in the production of vegetal chitosan, chitin-glucan and their derivatives. Sourced by selected suppliers that meet requirements in terms of purity, microbiological quality and traceability, the products are produced from fully renewable, nonGMO and traceable fungi. They comply with GMP (FDA and EMEA), HACCP and ISO9001: 2008. There is detailed discussion of: Vitipure, a
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unique solution for complete skin repair; Velsan Soft, the natural choice for silky skin and hair; and Zenvivo, the one and only vegetal chitosan. Press release from: Clariant International Ltd, Rothaustrasse 61, CH-4132 Muttenz 1, Switzerland, website: http://www.clariant.com (27 Sep 2011)
Household products Clariant powers clean appeal at SEPAWA 2011 Clariant presented an array of household and personal care innovations focused on boosting cleaning power and consumer appeal at SEPAWA 2011, 12-14 Oct 2011 (Booth 658-660). Versatile concepts, new ingredients, and colour solutions delivering cost-effective, sustainable and attention-grabbing formulations for the laundry, dishwashing and hard surface cleaning sectors, featured alongside benchmark-setting functionality and aesthetic advances for cosmetics, skin, body and hair care products. Clariant’s portfolio of trusted specialities and industryleading developments include ingredients to support more environmentally-friendly formulations, including biodegradable and highlyefficient products that reduce ingredient use. Selected highlights for the laundry, dishwashing and hard surface cleaning sectors include: a new generation amine oxide – Genaminox CHE – for outstanding performance and cost efficacy in hard surface cleaning; sustainability through efficiency enhancement for hard surface cleaning and hand dishwashing, including Clariant’s exciting new “Doing your Dishes” formulation concept which offers performance-boosting innovations for ultra-concentrate to low cost hand dishwashing products; layered silicate SKS-6, a multifunctional performance builder for phosphate-free laundry and automatic dishwashing detergent formulations; Hostapur SAS, the ideal anionic surfactant for highly concentrated liquid formulations that saves on solvents and hydrotropes with improved enzyme compatibility and low temperature cleaning performance; Peractive, clean and clever bleach activators and bleach
catalysts for highly efficient bleaching at environmentally friendly low temperatures. Colorants and colour selection support to give formulators the aesthetic edge for home and fabric care applications. Personal care highlights from Clariant include: a new set of reliable products for performance you can count on in skin care formulations; Shower Power, featuring EO-free rich yet mild foams, excellent rinseability, and eye-catching beads and sparkle for shower gels and creams; guide recipes for the beauty needs of young, sensitive skin and hair that embrace preferences for “healthier” products with fewer preservatives and more natural ingredients with less environmental impact. Press release from: Clariant International Ltd, Rothaustrasse 61, CH-4132 Muttenz 1, Switzerland, website: http://www.clariant.com (12 Oct 2011)
Other Efka 2010 high efficiency defoamer With Efka 2010, BASF has further strengthened its broad portfolio of high performance defoamers for industrial coating applications. The new silicone-free defoamer marks the latest addition to this product class and is suited for use in a wide range of solvent-borne coating systems. It can be used for pigmented and non-pigmented systems. Formulators benefit from the optimized combination of excellent defoaming efficiency and no influence on gloss. The high clarity within the formulation is maintained prior as well as after curing which enables the production of defect-free high quality surfaces for industrial coatings. Efka 2010 is compatible with a variety of different systems including nitrocellulose/ alkyd lacquers, 2k polyurethane-, stoving- and acid-cured coatings as well as cold-cured epoxy coatings. The product is primarily designed for formulations for the furniture and flooring segment and is available within Europe, North America and China. Further market applications include the automotive industry. Press release from: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany, tel: +49 (0) 621 600, website: http://www.basf.com (5 Oct 2011)
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