A perfect partner for formulation innovation

By Abby Vorster

On 1 April, Ryan Harrison joined IMCD South Africa as managing director. He takes over from Otto Brinkmann, who has retired. Brinkmann joined the company in May 1982, which was then Chemimpo SA and which IMCD acquired in 2013. He started as a sales representative and moved through the ranks to eventually become MD. During Brinkmann’s time with the company it has grown consistently at a rate of between 20 and 30 percent per annum. He attributes this success to the strong supplier focus of IMCD.

Harrison holds a BSC honours degree in chemistry and applied chemistry; he served as MD of Chemfit for the last 10 years. His experience spans coatings, surfactants and animal health and nutrition. In Harrison’s new role, he will drive the development and execution of IMCD’s strategy and expand the company’s range of applications and expertise in all segments of the South African and Kenyan markets.

GLOBAL TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE

To support its role as a leading speciality chemicals and food ingredients distributor, IMCD operates 45 laboratories in over 20 countries. The company’s focused laboratory technical teams are at the heart of its technical operations, building, maintaining and expanding relationships with suppliers and customers to create growth opportunities and deliver value. Its regional technical managers have active contact within all technical operations and are both customer and market facing. They provide one technical point of contact for the IMCD sales team and its customers. They also support IMCD’s sales operations and provide backing for answering customers’ technical questions. The technical managers play a crucial role in developing various tools to help the sales team promote IMCD’s portfolio, which answers market trends.

Providing a link between the sale steam, markets worldwide and IMCD’s laboratories, these managers define the focus of projects and collaborate with customers on formulation development.They are equipped to provide customised ingredient proposals or ready to use concepts for a total solutions approach.

IMCD’s personal care laboratories, including the Ethnic Hair Care Centre of Excellence in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica, are used as supportive facilities to develop synergies within the portfolios of its suppliers. These labs also develop formulation prototypes that answer new trends, carrying out projects designed by the technical team and they develop knowledge on ingredients and formulation concepts, for future interaction with the sales team andIMCD’s customers.

PIGMENTS AND DYES FROM KOEL COLOURS

IMCD is proud to be appointed a distributor of Koel Colours (Koel). Based in India, Koel has emerged as a leading supplier of superior quality of colours for the personal care and pharmaceutical industries.

At the HPCI India exhibition in March, the company received the Innovation Award in the category Best Ingredients for Altered Black. This unique innovation boasts a ground-breaking technology that provides non-nano, water dispersible and dust-free carbon black for cosmetics and personal care applications. This award from SOFW Journal’s HPCI Events recoginses Koel’s endeavours to excel in the industry, by developing unique technologies that aim to empower the formulators to produce improved innovations.

Koel specialises in organic and inorganic pigments as well as oil and water-soluble colours for cosmetics and personal care applications.

It also manufactures colour solutions for nail care, colour mud for lip care applications and a special grade of carbon black.

CLR’s adaptogenic approach to skin health

Obtained from an edible South American fruit, Annona cherimola, Annona SenseCLR from CLR Berlin, an IMCD principal, is proven to establish a sustainable homeostatic balance in the skin. This highly effective and sustainable active ingredient activates the CB2 receptor, supporting the body’s endo cannabinoid system (ECS). Inflammatory processes induced by the TRPV1 receptor, part of the skin’s endovanilloid system (EVS),are reduced and a stable balance is established between ECS and EVS.

Skin is less sensitive and more balanced with AnnonaSense CLR; even itchiness could perceivably be reduced.It also improves the appearance of the skin, while a consumer study showed the perception of well-being and quality of lifewere improved.

EXPANDED BELSIL LINE FROM WACKER

With its two new silicone resins, Belsil B110 and Belsil R 220, Wacker is tapping into trends for controlling the reflective properties of skin, colour cosmetics and hair. In day creams and foundations, the spherical particles of Belsil B 110 siliconeres in fill out wrinkles or skin imperfections, creating an even skin appearance. They also scatter light to provide a matte finish. Belsil R 220 is a film-forming silicone resin designed for use in nail varnishes. It has a high refractive index resulting in a high gloss, water-resistant surface.

Wacker – represented throughoutAfrica by IMCD – has also launched the new gum blend Belsil eco GB 1020, which is based on biomethanol. The gum blend acts as a conditioning agent to combat split ends. It can be formulated in hair masks and conditioners and is suitable for skin care applications, particularly skin softening lotions.

GET HOT HAIR WITH ASHLAND

With the new Advantage Revive polymer,Ashland – an IMCD principal – brings a much-needed refresher to the dry shampoo category.The polymer isbased on a unique poly vinyl pyrrolidone(PVP) chemistry process. It leaves hair feeling cleaner and looking shinier with enhanced lustre to match the appearance of freshly washed hair. AdvantageRevive can be used in aerosol and non aerosol dry shampoo applications.

At in-cosmetics Global the Ashland hair care team commemorated PVP’s 80th anniversary, celebrating the evolution of hair styles from the ’50s until today. The team created unique styling formulas that allow consumers to re-create the classic ‘rockabilly’ look of the ’50s with a smooth control wax featuring AquaStyle 300 N, the mod styles of the ’60s with Styleze 2000polymer and the rocker hair of the ’80s with Styleze CC-10 polymer.

GRANT INDUSTRIES’ SIAPP ELASTOMERS

There are many types of silicone-based ingredients, which Grant Industries says should not all be classified in the same way. For example, silicone reactive intermediates are very different from silicone elastomer polymers and silicone cyclic and linear fluids.

Featuring the combined benefits of nature and science, Grant Industries’ new SiAPP elastomer series provides formulators with enhanced compatibility of organic materials such as natural oils, butters and esters while maintaining the unique sensory characteristics, performance and skin safety imparted by silicones.

Offered in a range of volatile and non-volatile alkane fluids, allSiAPP elastomers are globally compliant, vegan friendly and unrelated to any palmor RSPO issues. The SiAP Pelastomer series consists of four high performing materials: Gransil GVL-LITE; Gransil GVL-912, Gransil OGHand Gransil SUG. SiAPP elastomers are available throughout Africa from IMCD.

NOURYON’S ADVANCED STYLING POLYMER

Amaze SP polymer is a new entry into the hair styling market, designed to offer consumers a more natural hold. It can be formulated into a variety of hair styling products ranging from mousses and creams to certain sprays.

The product is derived from a natural source and manufactured using an ecoconscious process to deliver a sustainable styling polymer. According to Nouryon, an IMCD principal, its performance is said to be ‘previously unseen’ by formulators.While it can be compared to some of the synthetic or partially synthetic offerings on the market, Amaze SP polymer provides additional benefits that truly differentiate it from what formulators have come to accept as the norm for styling polymers.

Amaze SP polymer is a unique, natural hair styling film former derived from the homopolymer of Itaconate, which has been polymerised in the presence of base, under green processing conditions, with water as the only solvent. The process uses very low energy and produces zero waste or by-products. As the Itaconate source is non-GMO, this styling polymer is suitable for use in Eco-cert and Cosmos approved formulations.

The polymer is supplied as a powder that can be easily incorporated into aqueous based formulations; it also offers some compatibility with ethanol.•

IMCD South Africa – www.imcdsa.co.za