COSMETIC ADDITIVES
Cosmetic additives
About cosmetic additives
According to the European Directive currently in force cosmetic products are all those preparations or substances whose use is intended to body care (cleaning or beauty). Cosmetic products must be produced according to very strict and well defined criteria of preparation and composition, since they come into direct contact with different sensitive areas of our body, particularly the skin or mucous membranes. The cosmetic additives can be divided into several large families of molecules and organic components, whose chemical properties determine the industrial use and the final characteristics of the product.All application fields and functions of the cosmetic additives
The organic additives are very important molecules in the cosmetic industry, as indispensable for the realization of almost all of the creams, deodorants and body products currently on the market. Their roles are various within different products, but in any case they are critical for the stabilization of the chemical structure of the compounds, for the creation of emulsions or solutions and for the maintenance of the products even after the opening. Since they are destined to come into direct contact with the human body, it is essential that the additives used in cosmetics comply with the strict regulations imposed by the EC.The main classes and models of cosmetic additives on the market
The additives used in the cosmetic field are countless and have extremely variable chemical and physical properties.- Solvents: they are liquid substances capable of dissolving another substance in solution, defined solute, which can occur in liquid, solid or gaseous state. Among the most used organic solvents in cosmetic field are the Triethyl Citrate, the Triacetin.
- Emollients: they can soften and soothe hard or inflamed body tissues. They are often used as additives in many body and facial treatments, especially in moisturizers and anti-aging treatments. The Iauric acid and stearic acid are examples of frequently used emollients in the cosmetic field. Butyl stearate is an example of emollient.
- Emulsifiers: they are molecules helping the formation of an emulsion, or of homogeneous union between two substances with a low affinity. Emulsifiers are particularly important in the field of cosmetic chemistry, because very often beauty treatments require the combined action of basic substances immiscible with each other. Among the most common organic emulsifiers in cosmetic preparations are: Sorbitan laurate (SML), Sorbitan stearate (SMS), Trioleate of anhydroD-glucitol (STO).