Introduction
The beauty and personal care industry in Europe is experiencing a time of rapid change. With a raft of new legislation combined with the changing expectations of consumers, brands are having to reformulate a wide range of make-up products, whilst maintaining the performance that attracted the customer in the first place.
Color cosmetic formulas need to perform, color must be strong and vibrant, formulations mustn’t cake and crack, and products need to be comfortable to wear, otherwise consumers will not repurchase.
High-Performance Color Cosmetics
Silicone elastomer gels have long found a place in make-up formulations, bringing a wide range of performance benefits since their introduction in the 1990s. Product formats such as make-up primers and mousse foundations were only made possible by the use of elastomer gels and the formulation skills of cosmetic chemists.
In fact, many color cosmetic formulations are primarily based upon silicone technologies due to their exceptional performance and sensory characteristics. It has been impossible to recreate those high-performance silicone formulations with naturally derived systems – the technology has simply not been there, until today.
Breakthrough Innovation with Harmonie™ NatuVel Gel
The launch of Harmonie™ NatuVel gel (Coco–Caprylate/Caprate (and) Polyglyceryl–2 Isostearate/Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer (and) Squalane) enables the cosmetic formulator to create a whole new generation of color cosmetics.
Considering different chassis types, it is particularly effective in anhydrous and water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, offering both performance and technical benefits — and in stick formulations, it also shines.
Harmonie™ NatuVel gel is a biobased polyester in a 3D network structure, dispersed in naturally derived emollients. The crosslinked polyester network is synthesized using 100% plant-based building blocks. The gel swells in the oil phase, creating a robust 3D network that adds structure. It has been engineered to replicate the luxurious feel and performance attributes of silicone elastomer gels.
When exposed to shear forces, the polymer entanglements in the Harmonie™ NatuVel gel break and have less time to resist deformation, resulting in a reduction in viscosity. This allows manufacturers to create formulas that are easy to apply while maintaining the desired texture, stability, and performance in the final product. Once the shear force is removed, the gel thickens back to its original, more viscous state, ensuring it stays in place and delivers long-lasting benefits without balling or feeling greasy.
Compatibility is a key criterion in cosmetic formulating, often overlooked until it becomes an issue. Lipophilic ingredients have varying levels of polarity depending on their structures. The medium polarity polymer network of Harmonie™ NatuVel gel ensures that the biobased elastomer gel is compatible with a wide range of naturally derived emollients and waxes, esters, ethers, and UV filters.
Harmonie™ NatuVel Gel in Primers
Primers are a product format often placed in the color cosmetics category, designed to provide a natural even skin tone and act as a base for color cosmetics application. Traditionally, primers have been based upon silicone elastomer technology, and it has been impossible to recreate the unique texture with a naturally derived formulation.
Harmonie™ NatuVel gel provides a chassis base for anhydrous primers. This can be considered a 3-phase system with the elastomer gel, an emollient, and a secondary stabilizer. Primers based upon Harmonie™ NatuVel gel have excellent absorption and cushioning during application, and provide a matte finish with a dry, powdery afterfeel.
Primer bases can also be extended to meet the trend for new hybrid formulations. Taking a basic chassis system, the addition of pigments can create mousse foundations, and UV filters can provide a true 3-in-1 product able to protect, blur, and color.
Hybrid formulations provide an excellent way to support consumers with truly multifunctional products, saving both time and money. SPF primers offer a novel gel texture attractive to consumers due to their light, easy application and dry non-greasy afterfeel.
Harmonie™ NatuVel Gel in Foundations
Foundations are designed to provide coverage to facial skin, creating a smooth and even complexion with pigment combinations designed to match specific skin tones. As color cosmetics have become more inclusive, a wider range of foundation colors are required, bringing greater challenges to the formulator who must create many pigment combinations with the same performance.
The soft focus and blurring properties of elastomer gels make them ideal components for foundation and concealer formulation, adding to the coverage provided by the pigment system and also mattifying and reducing the shine and oiliness of other lipidic components.
Harmonie™ NatuVel gel has been found to aid pigment wetting and dispersion and also acts as a secondary stabilizer for W/O emulsions.
Remarkable Benefits
Harmonie™ NatuVel gel delivers outstanding performance in stick formulations, where it has been found to aid pigment dispersion and suspension. On application, it provides a smooth, cushioned skinfeel, reduces any oily sensation, and boosts absorption, leaving a dry, powdery, non-greasy finish.
Cream-to-powder textures can be achieved for blushes and other formats.
Conclusion
Meeting the needs of the personal care industry today and in the future, Harmonie™ NatuVel gel is a 100% naturally derived elastomer gel.
Designed using the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, the process includes no solvents or catalysts.
The material is RSPO MB certified, COSMOS certified, vegan, biodegradable, and has a lower product carbon footprint (PCF) compared to legacy materials.
