Innovative Cosmetic Products
The challenge of creating formulas using Brazilian Biodiversity active ingredients
Learn how the Formulation Team worked in the development of the new Chronos Line
The process of creating a new cosmetics line is quite complex, it involves a lot of research and requires different specialists. In the case of the new Chronos Line - Natura's face care products - what distinguishes it from the other products is its use of Brazilian biodiversity substances. It was necessary to adapt raw materials which had never before been worked with and put them in the product. Throughout this process, each researcher played a key role in the final outcome.
On the Natura Campus Blog we are revealing the various stages of this process. Now it is time to talk about the Formulation Teams' role in this project. Soraya Moura, a Natura researcher explains in general terms what the focus was: "We studied the Brazilian market and other markets worldwide to understand the sensorial profile expected by the consumer as well as the most adequate for each type and application of the product. For example, the skin of the face will require a different composition from that of the body. With the defined sensory profile, the Formulation Team will find ways to create a product that has not only the expected action, but also the adequate texture, spreadability, color, brightness, fragrance and finish - all these pieces combine to make the final product.
In the case of the Chronos Line, the need to use new biodiversity substances, such as Jatobá and Casearia, raised the level of the challenge for the Formulation Team. "There is an added complexity in the project to work with a raw material that has never before been used in cosmetics and to make it stable and enjoyable for the consumer," explains Joana Miranda, manager of the formulas (for the face) division. It was necessary to integrate biodiversity in a way that also appealed to people's senses and this became a great incentive for the team. "The Ingredients Team and Cosmetic Technologies Team had already proven that those substances generated results in skin treatment, they worked well in isolation, it was up to us to be able to make its use pleasant for the consumer. We wanted these substances to become the stars of the product and we succeeded, "celebrates Joana.
Challenges in the Formulation Process
Another member of the formulation team, Fabiana Paes, tells how jatobá extract - which acts to ensure greater skin firmness in the Chronos 45 + - proved to be especially challenging for the team because of its appearance. "The jatobá brought us some difficulty, because of its viscosity, which interfered directly in the texture, spreadability and stability of the formula. We had to work in partnership with the seed supplier to treat the raw material and we managed to include it in the final product, with a texture suited to what we were looking for," he says.
Having overcome the problem with the viscosity of the jatobá, there was still the difficulty in guaranteeing protection against photoaging without compromising the texture of the product. "The Chronos line features an SPF 30 and an FPUVA 10, which are not very common in face products as they tend to bring a heavier and denser texture. We did a lot of tests and research to bring the desired protection with an added lightness, which can be compared to the products in the face category that contain SPF 15," recalls Fabiana.
All the work done by the formulation team was crowned with the launch of the new Chronos Line. "Chronos is an iconic brand, the first in the world to separate its product line by age groups, we are a point of reference within the market. This was a very rich project, involving all the technologies that Natura already had, which drove to the creation of new ones. The incredible team of researchers involved in the project left behind an incredible legacy," reinforced Joana.
"It was a project that took three years to execute, involving a diverse team of researchers, backed up with a lot of science. We made several formulas to reach the equation of ingredients and different formulas that were most appropriate for each biological cycle and this was only possible with a lot of dialogue between the teams, Ingredients, Technologies and all other researchers, “concludes Soraya Moura.
Learn more about the development of the new Chronos Line.
Computational Biology and 3D tissue tests enhance anti-aging treatments.
Jatobá extract: The transformation of a native seed of the Cerrado into an active anti-ageing ingredient.
Learn how the pharmaceutical formulation area created and developed the new Chronos Line.
Versão Português