Following our launch of Citropol® 1A earlier this month we received a number of questions regarding the solubilization properties of Citropol 1A, so we thought we’d try and address that here. Citropol 1A is a highly versatile solvent when it comes to both common cosmetic ingredients, as well common fragrance molecules. The below table highlights Citropol 1A’s miscibility with all the major classes of cosmetic liquids (save water). Further we’ve provided some miscibility data with regard to some of our favorite essential oils at very high loading. You’ll notice 100% miscibility across all examples.
We further observed that with regard to the solubilization of fragrances, Citropol’s not only solubilize fragrances, but in many cases they have a fixative effect. This fragrance fixation – or controlled release – can be readily observed on the blotter when working with common fragrance ingredients. And while Citropol 1A displays very interesting properties in this regard, future Citropol offerings will offer even more enhanced benefits around this effect – so stay tuned!
Did you know?
Of 28 U.S. specialty chemicals segments, 3 segment market volume gains occurred in March 2020 including cosmetic chemicals and flavors & fragrances.
Travel restrictions will alter vacation plans in 2020, but you can virtually travel anywhere in the world aided by scented candles including memorable beaches, iconic parks, and scenic spots such as the Lavender Fields of Provence, France pictured here. Where do you aspire to virtually vacation? Let us know and we will share our favorite responses next week!
P2 Science begins publication of weekly newsletter dedicated to cosmetic and fragrance formulations. Did you miss our inaugural Issue?
P2 Science appears in a Byrdie article"The Hard Truth: Natural Ingredients Aren't Always the Most Sustainable."
Mark your calendars! P2 is preparing for a Webcast on May 5th. Details and registration link coming soon.
Opinion
The Old Normal
Over the past 6 weeks or so, we’ve read all about the “new normal” and how, in a “post-COVID” world, things will never be the same. Going back to normal just will not happen after this pandemic. We’ll all just have to adjust to a new reality. Baloney, in my opinion (this is the opinion column, by the way). Some things will change, some will stay the same, some trends will become irrelevant and some trends will continue as if nothing had happened. Some facets of our reality as humans on the planet, bolstered by billions of years of biology, millions of years of evolution and 10’s of thousands of years of human culture will barely notice what happened with a virus in 2020. These three forces of biology, evolution and culture are ones I would not bet against.
Sure, history supports the idea that the black plague, which took out 30 – 50 % of the population of Europe, hastened the recognition of peasants as full humans with agency and rights, thereby changing the social and economic contract in place at the time. Other cataclysmic events have catalysed similar big changes. But humans remain human, shaped by the three forces discussed above. They still fall in love, still get angry, jealous, hungry, passionate, greedy, sad, happy. They still want to look good, still want respect and approval, still wonder about what is the best way to live a life, still seek the transcendent.
So what? So, the megatrends that we concluded were shaping our business and way of life in 2019, haven’t gone away and, if anything, some have been underscored by the virus. Megatrendslike digital transformation, especially in retail, healthcare innovation and sustainability, will likely gain greater traction. Last year, consumers were starting to care as much about what they put on their bodies as in their bodies. The pandemic has arguably blurred perception of the line between in and on the body and so has likely accelerated the consumer trend of awareness of personal care product ingredients. The virus has already accelerated our, already in progress, move from the physical to the virtual world for shopping, learning and other pursuits. More focus is now on the wellness component of things we buy as it was also last year. Finally geopolitical tensions may increase and supply chains may get even shorter. Thanks to the recent trade war, firms already were questioning concentrated centers of production. The pandemic is likely to further pressure corporations to consider a supply chain either in their home countries or in closer, more stable trading partners. No change in the prior direction then, but maybe a change in speed.
Of course there’ll be a post-COVID world, just as there was a post 9/11 world, a post dot com bust (remember that?) world, a post WWII world etc. But, (it’s a cliché but it’s true) people are people. Cleopatra wanted to look good (legend has it) and thousands of years, plagues, wars and revolutions later, so do you and I. Romeo fell in love with Juliet, when he probably shouldn't have and hundreds of years later Tony fell in love with Maria (West Side Story!). So don't be seduced by the mantra of “everything’s different now”. It isn't. Because huge forces that we barely understand but that we need to live - that are life, continue to move. Take, for example, those three great human forces, that we see today in times of crisis - fatih hope and love. Lives will be put back together and may look a little diferent. The forces that bind them back together and which drive them forward- they're the same; faith hope and love and the greatest of these (as Romeo,Tony, Juliet, Maria, your mam, brother, friend, partner etc. will tell you) is love.