ALKYL POLYGLUCOSIDES/ APG GREEN SUCCESS STORY

APG—A Green Success Story

Alkyl polyglucosides represent a solution for manufacturers to combine efficiency with ecological congeniality and human safety in the final product.

Guadalupe Pellón, Patricia Rodríguez Pérez
Cognis GmbH
Email: info@cognis.com
Website: www.cognis.com

The green movement continues to grow as more consumers are becoming aware of the impact that the products they use have on themselves, society and the environment. This new green consciousness is making consumers change their consumption habits and thus their purchasing criteria. In concrete terms, consumers are increasingly interested in products that contain natural ingredients and respect the environment.

According to Organic Monitor, sales of natural personal care products worldwide reached approximately $7.3 billion in 2007. In the home care sector, a 2004 study by Green Marketing Inc., revealed that 69% of respondents preferred natural detergents to those derived from synthetic ingredients because they are commonly considered to be safer, especially where children are concerned. Along with environmental sensitivity, consumers expect products to be effective and high-quality. These expectations are forcing manufacturers to review their product lines and to develop innovative, environmental-friendly solutions that are both efficient and cost-effective. One example of a key ingredient being used to develop new products which satisfy the consumers “green” consciousness are alkyl polyglucosides. Alkyl polyglucosides can be used in personal and home care applications as well as in those for the I&I sector.

A Green Surfactant Emerges
Alkyl polyglucosides are nonionic surfactants with origins in the 19th century. For a long time, they were only of academic interest. In 1893, the German chemist Emil Fischer synthesized alkyl polyglucosides by combining fatty alcohols and glucose obtained from coconut or palm kernel oil and corn. However, it took almost 100 years to progress from simple laboratory experiments to the industrial production of alkyl polyglucoside surfactants and their use in formulations.

In 1989, Cognis, at the time still part of the Henkel Group, succeeded in designing an industrial production process for alkyl polyglucoside surfactants.1 They were originally developed for the home care and body wash segments. Nowadays the applications for alkyl polyglucoside surfactants are as diverse as the products on the shelves of retailers, drugstores, and beauty shops: From baby foam-bath products to facial cleansing lotions, shampoos, and oral care products, from wipes to laundry detergents, hard surface cleaners, and I&I cleaning applications.

Alkyl polyglucoside surfactants are obtained from renewable, plant-derived raw materials and therefore are suitable for products where mildness to human skin, environmental compatibility and high performance are a must. Alkyl polyglucosides have been extensively tested in various eco-toxicological studies.2 No environmentally harmful intermediates are formed even during mineralization to carbon dioxide and water; nor do the surfactants release any undesirable by-products such as nitrogen, ethylene oxide, or preservatives. For all these reasons, many formulators see alkyl polyglucosides as the ideal “green” surfactants which add value to their products and help them to distinguish these products from conventional ones.

“Greenness” Meets Mildness

Companies such as Yves Rocher, a cosmetic producer of botanical beauty care products, have been using alkyl polyglucosides since the beginning of the 1990s. Questioned about their preference for APG, Stéphanie Collet, Lab Manager for the Toiletteries Lab at Yves Rocher stated: “We regard alkyl polyglucosides as mild, “green” and biodegradable surfactants which offer a benefit for consumers in terms of very mild formulations combined with an extraordinary environmental profile.”

Dirk Develter, R&D Manager of Ecover, an international company active in the production of ecological cleaners and detergents, confirms: “In comparison to other surfactants, alkyl polyglucosides are very much in line with our concept of sustainability, including interesting features such as full renewability, low aquatic toxicity and full biodegradability without stable metabolites.”

In fact, within the framework of international regulations concerning eco-friendly products, alkyl polyglucosides meet the requirements for highly accepted green labels such as Ecocert, the EU Eco-Flower, Green Seal and many others.

In addition to their ecological footprint, alkyl polyglucosides are not toxic or harmful to human health and show a lower skin irritation than other surfactants. It is essential that the surfactants used in personal and home care products have minimal irritation potential because it is inevitable that these products come into contact with the skin. A comparative study.3 of various surfactants showed that alkyl polyglucosides possess superior mildness compared to other surfactants found in the market, confirming the well-known association of “greenness” with mildness.

Two of those tests, the red blood cell test (RBC; Pape et al., 1999; INVITTOX Porotcol Nr. 37) in Figure 1 and the epicutaneous patch testing (ECT; 24 hour occlusive patch test) Figure 2, assess the mucous membrane/ocular irritation potential of different surfactants and the primary skin irritation in humans respectively.

Fig. 1: Figure 1: Ocular/mucous membrane Irritation potential: Results of a HET-CAM Test (3% AS; pH 6.5)

As surfactants at higher concentrations or with an extreme pH make irritation more possible, the surfactants were tested at the same pH and at the same active substance content. To make sure that microbial contamination does not occur in the absence of preservatives, the pH of alkyl polyglucosides is adjusted to approximately 12. However, home and personal care products Fig 2: Results a 24 hour occlusive epicutaneous human patch test (2% AS; pH 6.5; n=21)
should not only be mild but also have a high cleansing efficacy. Alkyl polyglucosides can satisfy these requirements based on their exceptional skin compatibility and deep pore cleansing properties for personal care products as well as exceptional cleaning performance in home care and I&I products without leaving residues on the cleaned surfaces. One property that goes hand in hand with the cleansing process is the formation of foam. Consumers perceive the formation of foam as an inherent part of the cleaning phase in personal care products such as shampoos and shower gels as well as in home care products such as laundry detergents and manual dishwashing liquids. Alkyl polyglucosides, alone or in combination with other surfactants, produce foam with a good balance between volume and stability in all the above-mentioned applications.

Table 1: Description of the surfactants tested in this study
Additional benefits that formulators regard as positive in alkyl polyglucosides include the absence of ethoxylates or sulfates in their composition and their stability over a wide pH spectrum as described by Stéphanie Collet from Yves Rocher: “Alkylpolyglucosides allow the possibility to formulate transparent products through a broad range of pH values”.

Dirk Develter (Ecover) also stated: “Alkyl polyglucosides are stable over a wide pH range, which makes them suitable for use in highly alkaline I&I cleaners as well as in acid cleaners without the anaerobic degradation issues of sulfonated surfactants."

Conclusions

In the light of the green movement, consumers will continue to favor products with natural and environmentally sound ingredients. As a consequence, the demand for green surfactants will continue to escalate in terms of raw materials. Alkyl polyglucosides are nonionic surfactants obtained from renewable, plant-derived raw materials which enable the formulation of modern personal and home care as well as I&I products. Their ideal environmental and skin compatibility as well as high performance profiles meet consumers’ demands within the green trend perfectly. Manufacturers following the green movement acknowledge the benefits that alkyl polyglucosides have brought to their formulations, supporting them until today to clearly differentiate their products from others. Innovative companies actively offering green solutions, such as Yves Rocher in the personal care market and Ecover in the home care and I&I segment, confirm that alkyl polyglucosides are a must when aiming for the best performance, especially in green products.


References
1. Hill, K., von Rybinski W., Stoll G. (1997) Alkyl polyglycosides: Technology, properties and application. Ed. VCH, Germany. pp 1-7;71-130.
2. Willing A., Messinger H., Aulmann W. (2004) “Ecology and Toxicology of Alkyl polyglucosides”. In: Handbook of Detergents. Ed. U.Zoller, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 487-521.
3. Mehling A., Kleber M., Hensen H. (2007) Comparative studies on the ocular and dermal irritation potential of surfactants. Food Chem. Toxicol. 45, 747-58
Read More..

PATCHOULY OIL

What is Patchouli Oil ?

From Wikipedia, Patchouli (also patchouly or pachouli) is bushy herb of the mint family, with erect stems, reaching two or three feet (about 0.75 metre) in height and bearing small pale pink-white flowers. The plant is native to tropical regions of Asia and is now extensively cultivated in Caribbean countries, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, West Africa and Vietnam.

The scent of patchouli is heavy and strong. It has been used for centuries in perfumes and continues to be so today. The word derives from the Tamil patchai பச்சை (green), ellai இலை (leaf).

Pogostemon cablin, P. commosum, P. hortensis, P. heyneasus and P. plectranthoides are all cultivated for their oils and all are known as 'patchouli' oil, but P. cablin is considered superior.Indonesia is 80% of Patchouli Oil world supplier. Followed by China, Brazil and some african countries. The superior Indonesian Patchouli Oils usually blended with other lower quality patchouli oil sources.

In our daily life, what is Patchouli Oil it self ? The answer can be as short as an essential oils use in many perfumes and can be as long as with all the chemical composition that make it special and can not be chemically manufactured.


We will start with the short one, in perfumery industry and aromatherapy it is a common to blend many type of essential oils to produce a specific aroma. The 3 main components in the blending are top notes (type of essential oils that easily loose and vapored, the aroma of this type stay for 1 to 2 hrs i.e lemon, this top notes usually a dominant at first but gone in aminutes. The middle notes which is middle aroma that will stay longer than top notes. And last there is based notes which is mysterious, based, and the aroma stay for as long as 8 hrs.

Patchouli oil is considered an excellent base note and fixative in perfumery, being a component in many famous perfumes. As a fixative, it slows the evaporation of other, more volatile oils so that their aroma may be released over a longer period of time. A little patchouli can be used in natural perfume blends, adding that special deep and earthy aroma. It mixes well with many essential oils, with almost all common oils being mentioned across a variety of sources - these include Vetiver, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Myrrh, Jasmine, Rose, Citrus oils, Clary Sage, Lemongrass, Geranium and Ginger.

Some of the perfumes that dominated by Patchouli scents are Byblos Patchouli, Bond No.9 Nuits de Noho, Caswell-Massey Aura of Patchouli, Dana Tabu, Etro Patchouly, Gobin Daudé parfums Jardins Ottomans, Jalaine Patchouli, Keiko Mecheri Patchoulissme, L’Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses, L’Artisan Patchouli, L'Artisan Fragrances Patchouli Patch, Lorenzo Villoresi Patchouli, Lush Karma, Mazzolari Patchouly, Molinard Les Scenteurs Patchouli, Montale Patchouli Leaves, Santa Maria Novella Patchouli, Serge Lutens Borneo 1834, Thierry Mugler Angel.

In Aromatheraphy, used in many application due to its properties. Patchouli has been known as Antidepressant, Anti-inflammatory , Antimicrobial, Aphrodisiac, Antiseptic, Bactericidal, Nervine, Skin tonic. Patchouli is considered a great balancer, relaxing yet stimulating, particularly relevant for conditions of weak immunity where overwork and anxiety have left the individual in a susceptible state. It is said to bring the three principal forces at work within the body - the Creative at the navel, the Heart center, and transcendental wisdom a the crown - into harmony.

If any inquiries please feel free to contact.
Michael S. Thang
+6221680-68293, +628164850242
Read More..