Cosmetic chemists meet in Osaka: nearly 2000 cosmetic chemists from around the world gather in Japan for the 24th IFSCC Congress.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND cosmetics moved front and center last month when the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists gathered in Osaka, Japan for the 24th IFSCC Congress. Attendees learned more about a range of new anti-aging ingredients, discovered the latest technologies to measure efficacy and safety and discussed the newest innovations in hair care, sun care and color cosmetics. It was the first time the Congress had been to Japan since 1992, when the event took place in Yokohama. Nearly 2000 chemists from around the world attended the event which was held Oct. 16-19 at the Osaka International Convention Center.

The Congress got underway with a lively opening ceremony that included an address from Princess Takamado of Japan, and several other dignitaries. After a night of revelry, attendees got down to the business of business with a keynote by Hachiro Tagami, professor emeritus at Tohoku University. Dr. Tagami has studied skin maladies for more than 40 years and he used this vast body of knowledge to remind the audience the role that healthy skin has in improving the lives of patients and consumers around the world. He predicted that in the future, tailor-made cosmeceuticals will enable consumers to find products that exactly match their bodies' own chemistry. At the same time, he pointed out that instrumentation evaluation will continue to be the best way to evaluate skin condition and product efficacy.

But while Dr. Tagami was counting on chemistry to lead the way in cosmetic science, Tomoji Kawai, of the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka, insisted that nanotechnology and biotechnology will drive growth and expansion during the next 20 years. He took the audience on a fascinating journey that included where nanotechnology has been and where it is headed. Nanotech promises to solve pressing environmental and energy problems, help physicians improve patient help and reinvent the communications industry, he insisted.

Cosmetics and Nanotechnology

Some cosmetics companies have already seen the future of nanotech, he noted. Shiseido's Eloxir and Kao's Rutina, for example, both employ the technology. Other companies have used nanotech methods to create effective and aesthetically-pleasing UV protection.

"Nanotechnology is still developing in cosmetics," he observed. "There has been some penetration of the science, but much more is to come."

One of the newer nanotech-based materials is poly lactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA). When encapsulated and formulated into cosmetics, the material provides a variety of effects including skin whitening, anti-aging and antioxidant properties. It even shows promise as a hair growth ingredient because its small size lets it penetrate deep into the hair shaft.

"Nanotech will combine with biotech to create new materials and new drugs," he predicted.

At the present time, however, chemistry continues to dominate cosmetic formulation, and several presentations highlighted the discovery of new molecules that reportedly fight the traditional signs of aging. For example, Mike Farwick of Degussa, presented a paper on sphingolipid salicyoyl-phytosphingosine (PS-SLC), which reportedly reduces the signs of aging. In an eight-day study of 10 volunteers, a solution containing 0.2% PS-SLC was applied to the face. According to the speaker, the appearance of crow's feet were reduced by 10% within four weeks of topical application compared to the vehicle.

"The material shows excel lent efficacy in reducing wrinkle depth and skin roughness," he concluded. "It outperforms vitamin A and we believe it is the next generation anti-aging ingredient."

Gilles Pauly, Cognis, detailed how small proteoglycans (PGs) in skin are the new targets to fight skin aging. His team showed a decrease in synthesis of two small PGs--lumican by dermal fibroblasts and syndecan-1 by keratinocytes in relation to aging. As a result, the Cognis researcher targeted these proteoglycans with two acetyl-tetrapeptides (AcTP1 and AcTP2). The AcTP1 demonstrated a stimulating effect on lumican synthesis in the in vitro aged fibroblasts. A stimulating effect of AcTP2 on syndecan-1 synthesis was demonstrated on human aged keratinocytes in culture. Moreover, AcTP1 induced expression of some genes in fibroblasts implicated in signal transduction, allowing to stimulate extra-cellular matrix genes expression. Meanwhile, AcTP2 inhibited in keratinocytes the expression of receptor implicated in the repression of syndecan-1.

Another interesting anti-aging ingredient available to the cosmetic chemist is silybin, according to Seiji Kitajima, Fancyl Research Institute. The speaker noted that silybin is a component of silymarin, which is a mixture of flavonolignans (silybin, isosilybin, silydianin and silychristin, isolated from the fruits and seeds of milk thistle). The Fancyl researchers isolated these components and found that silybins significantly inhibited keratinocyte differentiation and keratinocyte senescence more than silychristin and silydianin.

"These results indicated that silybin was the most functional ingredient among silymarin to prevent skin aging," he observed.

Formulation Technology

Once the cosmetic chemist has identified a promising active, how will he or she incorporate it into a skin care product? A session on formulation technology provided some insight. For example, Maria Fe Boo, Noveon Asia Pacific, detailed how a polymeric emulsifier system can create multiple emulsification.

The emulsifier system used in the oil-in-water (O/W) phase is composed of Acrylates/[C.sub.10-30] alkyl acrylates crosspolymer, dimethicone PEG-7 isostearate and acrylates/acrylamide and mineral oil and polysorbate-85. The researchers tested the compatibility of the O/W phase with several types of W/O emulsifiers. According to Ms. Boo, Noveon was able to form versatile O/W emulsion systems that exhibit broad compatibility with different water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion systems without directly interacting with or destroying its basic structure and therefore provide a viable and uncomplicated way of creating multiple emulsions.

A cosmetic powder that is made up of 97% water, is possible by optimizing hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance, insisted Keiji Igarashi of Kose. The company developed a water-powder type material (Water-Splash powder) that features a dynamic structural change that enables the powder to liquefy instantly. The material can be used to encapsulate water which is then released by application to skin. As a result, cosmetic chemists can create a makeup that provides cool, smooth coverage.

Hair Today

Although anti-aging may be the fastest-growing category in personal care, it is by no means the only category. The Congress provided attendees with several opportunities to review research on product safety, UV protection and hair care. For example, Yoshio Kajiura of Kao reviewed the benefits of using a Scanning Microbeam SAXS to evaluate the structure of curly and straight hair fibers of Asian, Caucasian and African hair. Under this instrument, it became clear that intermediate filaments play a tremendous role in hair type. In curly hair, IF diameter is almost constant, but in IF-IF distance increases and IF tilt angle decreases from the outer side toward the inner side of the curl. But, for nearly straight hair fibers, not only IF diameter, but also IF-IF distance and tilt angle are almost constant.

Also in the hair care segment, Ratan Chaudhuri of EMD Chemicals, explained the role of hydrogen peroxide in photo-aging and melanin synthesis. The speaker explained how polyphenolic antioxidants can be used to eliminate the detrimental effects of [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] to skin and the inhibition of [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] induced melanin synthesis in skin.

In the final presentation of the session, Timothy Gao of Croda, explained how multilayer lamella vesicles (MLV) can be incorporated into hair straightening formulas. According to Dr. Gao, hair straightened formulas with MLV structure showed better straightening efficacy, faster and larger stress decay and smaller retaining relative helix content compared to that treated with the formula without MLV.

Better Products, Faster

No one has to tell cosmetic chemists that consumers want better products faster than ever. But how can researchers work faster to find the ingredients and the formula that can put a finished product on a store shelf?. Robert Y. Lochhead, of The Institute for Formulation Science, The University of Southern Mississippi, explained how combinatorial formulation enables the formulator to study thousands of compositions a day. He described a high-throughput screening method that generates phase diagrams over a large range of concentrations for cationic polysaccharide interaction with anionic surfactant in the presence and absence of dissolved electrolyte.

"Using a liquid handling system for sample preparation, we are able to analyze nearly 1000 samples per investigator per day, making it possible to understand electrolyte effects and coacervate structure-property relationships," explained Dr. Lochhead. "Combinatorial formulation makes it possible for us to do in a week what once took a lifetime."

TCM's Place in Modern Medicine

Although modern medicines often boast the newest high-tech ingredients and procedures, there is still a place in the formulator's playbook for Kampo, the Japanese version of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explained Kazuo Mitani of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. He explained how TCM can be used to cure sickness while it is still in its early stages. The TCM practioner often interviews the patient to completely understand his or her daily routine before prescribing a treatment.

"It is necessary to determine a therapy strategy on the basis of a thorough understanding of the patient's condition, rather than placing excessive emphasis on the chief complaints, which are presented as symptoms or signs," he explained.

TCM, therefore can alleviate a variety of aging ailments including arthritis, menopause and urological problems.

Next Stop: Amsterdam

GLOBE-TROTTING cosmetic chemists should mark their calendars now for the IFSCC Conference, which will be held Sept. 24-26, 2007 in Amsterdam at the Royal Tropical Institute. The theme of the event is "Building on Water." More info: www.ifscc2007.nl

For those planning even further ahead, the 25th IFSCC Congress will be held Oct. 6-9, 2008 in Barcelona. The theme of the event is "Building Cosmetics ... Research, Technology, Culture."

More info: www.barcelona2008ifscc.org

Tom Branna

Editorial Director