Biogels as Next Generation Rheologymodifiers in Personal Care
Clariant: Eco-Rheo-NxG
The Cell-Instructive Materials group is working on the new project on green, nature-based rheology modifiers for personal care. We are focusing on the development and research (design, synthesis, characterization) of hydrogels and their components such as backbone and crosslinker as rheology modifiers and additives and finally their formulation to personal care products. If successful, the project will contribute to sustainable and environmentally friendly personal care products.
Bioinspired additives in personal care: It is impossible to imagine everyday life without many products such as creams, shampoos or foods like mayonnaise or mustard. All of these products have in common that they are based on a finely dispersed mixture of droplets or an insoluble solid in a liquid. It is essential that the finely dispersed droplets/solids are evenly distributed in the liquid and that the product properties, such as consistency and feel, are quickly restored after the action of a mechanical force, e.g. when squeezing a lotion out a tube or applying it to skin. This often requires additives such as thickeners, so-called rheology modifiers, which ensure an appealing consistency during application in products such as lotions and creams. Current rheology modifiers form a stable, chemically bonded, 3-dimensional network to provide the desired mechanical and haptic properties. However, this strength becomes a problem when cosmetic products end up in wastewater, e.g. after showering. Such stable rheology modifiers may be degraded only extremely slowly or not at all.
The aim of Eco-Rheo NxG is to leverage the knowledge we gained during the BMBF-project Kosmogel and now investigate next-generation rheology modifiers. Similarly to the molecules developed during the joint project, the new network-like structures should be rapidly degraded after exposure to the environment. Nature provides a simple solution for the formation of networks that are required for this purpose: Instead of linking the network building blocks to each other via permanent and rigid bonds, they are reversibly connected to each other via dynamic interactions. This process of targeted attachment, also known as self-assembly, is observed in nature in the formation of tissue, among other things, and yields stable network structures that are readily biodegradable. The focus of the new project Eco-Rheo NxG is on the investigation and in depth understanding of those interactions observed previously, and the development of next-generation rheology modifiers as novel biodegradable network building blocks that self-assemble into stable networks following the example of nature. If successful, the project will contribute to sustainable and environmentally compatible personal care products.
Industrial cooperation partners: Clariant