To meet growing consumer demand for natural suncare and make-up products, Gattefossé has accepted a challenge and will be presenting a new ingredient at in-cosmetics global Paris.
Gattefossé drew on its solid expertise in lipid chemistry to develop Emulium Illustro, an innovative water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifier of natural origin, designed primarily for formulas containing pigments. Derived from a patented technology based on polyglycerol esters, Emulium® Illustro meets consumers' expectations and formulators' requirements in terms of performance and flexibility.
Uncompromising naturalness
Emulium Illustro has demonstrated superior performance and stability to other W/O emulsifiers on the market.
Flexible, easy to formulate and cold-applied, this new ingredient creates fluid textures that are comfortable on the skin, providing a soft touch and a feeling of hydration.
Particularly interesting in make-up and suncare formulations, Emulium Illustro can also be used to formulate original skin care textures.
"We worked for six years to find a lipid composition that would provide a concrete solution to the problems associated with formulating natural W/O emulsions. We selected three raw materials which underwent esterification followed by interesterification. The combination of a polyglycerol-6 grade containing little free glycerol with 12-hydroxystearic and ricinoleic acids has resulted in a flexible structure capable of stabilization without co-emulsifiers. The unsaturated chain adds fluidity to the emulsion, resulting in textures that are easy to spread. Maxime Nollet, engineer specializing in lipid chemistry at Gattefossé.
"Guided by experts in make-up formulation, we placed pigments at the heart of research from day one. Emulsions were built around pigments, taking into account different types of coating as well as uncoated ingredients. We challenged Emulium Illustro through a battery of tests to explore it from every angle: compatibility with cosmetic ingredients, stability, sensoriality and clinical evaluation. We also developed several formulas to demonstrate its benefits in make-up, sun care and skin care. Our natural foundation was evaluated by a panel of consumers accustomed to using foundations with silicones. The volunteers were delighted not only by the product's performance, but also by the way their bare skin looked after use. This is the greatest reward we could have expected." Malorie Duvent, formulation engineer at Gattefossé.
