Emulium Illustro-Naturality without Compromise

13.02.2020

Over the last decade, skincare has gone natural, progressively but with great success. It is undeniable that natural skincare today is as performant, sensorial and pleasant to use as synthetic skincare, indeed more so. This achievement has been obtained as a result of research carried out by scientists across the board, from raw materials to formulation. Color cosmetics and suncare are a different story altogether. Complex to formulate and stabilize, heavily reliant on silicones and synthetic polymers, these cosmetic products are rarely natural. Despite a growing consumer interest for silicone-free, natural cosmetics, water-in-silicone formulations are undisputed leaders in make-up and suncare applications. Making high performance make-up products without using synthetics is difficult. Most make-up and suncare products employ a water-in-silicone composition, a structure that performs well, bringing good stability and smooth and easy application of pigments to the skin. The end result is perfect, with long lasting and water resistance properties. Natural ones are more often based on oil-in-water compositions similar to those used in skincare. The challenges for such formulations, besides stability and in particular for high pigment levels, is a tendency to caking with a dry, uncomfortable feel. The water-in-oil structure, with an external oil and silicone phase, appears to give superior results when high coverage is required. Yet silicone-free and PEG-free inverse emulsifiers are still rare. The few examples that exist have not been designed for pigment carrying systems and are difficult to stabilize. They require the addition of synthetic stabilizers and/or a co-emulsifier, with an impact on naturality and sensory properties. There is a strong need for high performance natural water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifiers able to make low viscosity formulations with long-lasting properties and enhanced water-resistance. Gattefossé has applied it is strong knowledge in lipid chemistry to the development of Emulium® Illustro, an innovative W/O emulsifier of natural origin, designed for pigments but not only. Using a patented technology based upon polyglycerol esters, Emulium ® Illustro perfectly meets consumer expectations in terms of naturality and formulators’ requirements for performance and flexibility.

A True Maesto

Emulium® Illustro demonstrates superior performance and stability compared to other W/O emulsifiers on the market. Compatibility with cosmetic ingredients – emollients, film formers, polymers, pearlescent agents, powders, stabilizers – is excellent. Flexible, easy to use, cold processing compatible, it enables to obtain from ultra-fluid to thick textures without any co-emulsifier. Of particular interest in pigmented color and sunscreen formulations, Emulium® Illustro can also be used to formulate innovative textures for skincare.

A Unique Sensoriality

The sensory imprint of Emulium® Illustro is unique. It is characterized by a light and soft afterfeel, providing foundations and mineral sunscreens with a “skincare” touch (Fig. 1). The skin appears naturally glowy – but not shiny – and both looks and feels hydrated.

Figure 1: Sensory analysis of three formulas containing Emulium® Illustro.

The composition plays a significant role on this sensory impact. The supple carbon chains of the 12-HSA and RA molecules enrobe the pigments on the skin, giving a soft feel and good natural non-transfer properties. The pigments are dispersed evenly and do not gather in fine lines or pores. The skin appears perfected, homogeneous and smooth.

Answer to a Growing Consumer Expectation

Emulium® Illustro has been used at 5% in a natural foundation and validated non-comedogenic through a dedicated clinical trial. Dermatological and self-assessment scoring were performed immediately after the first application to evaluate the foundation performance and after 28 days of application, on bare skin, to assess the skin quality. A satisfaction questionnaire has been completed by the panelists after the first application and at the end of the study. Results presented in Fig. 2 show that the foundation formulated with Emulium® Illustro brings a uniform, flawless skin appearance and enhances the skin quality, even without any make-up.

Figure 2: Dermatological and self-assessment scoring of the foundation performance after the first application and the skin quality after 28 days of application on bare skin. Moreover, Fig. 3 shows that the efficacy and pleasant application characteristics of the foundation were acclaimed by panelists. Emulium® Illustro meets consumer requirements in terms of foundation appearance and feel.

Figure 3: Satisfaction questionnaire completed by panelists after the first application and after 28 days of application. According to the satisfaction questionnaire, three in four panelists expressed a desire to continue use of the foundation beyond the study. Unaware of the composition of the formulation, the performance was acclaimed. When informed of the natural, PEG and silicone-free composition, an astounding 91% of panelists stated that they were willing to abandon their usual silicone formulation for the product tested. Emulium® Illustro clearly answers the growing consumer expectation for more natural make-up.