Seeking Technology to Form Clear/Transparent Anhydrous Sticks

A SpecialChem Client ($10 billion consumer goods company) is seeking innovative materials/technology that would gel or thicken oils/esters/liquid polymers to form a clear/transparent stick in an anhydrous system.

Waxes have been used traditionally for developing structure and creating a desired stiffness in a stick form. Incorporation of waxes raises the melting point and therefore improves the physical stability of the composition. However, waxes have a disadvantage in that they impart opacity to the product. Therefore, there is a need to create clear/transparent sticks that have the desired balance of rigidity and firmness while remain clear. Several methods of creating clear sticks are known in the industry.

• Polyamides have been used to help maintain clarity while achieving the desired stiffness in a clear composition. However, polyamides exhibit various incompatibilities with a variety of oils that make their use less than desirable.
• Other substitutes for the waxes include Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide (commercially available as G.P.-1 from Ajinomoto) and Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide (commercially available as EB 21 from Ajinomoto), which are used to maintain clarity without compromising structure and stability. However, the high processing temperature for such material also leaves them less desirable for stick manufacturing. In addition, the gel strength of such material is not as satisfactory without compromising the shine attribute.

Therefore the SpecialCem Client is seeking alternative materials to create a clear/transparent anhydrous stick. Relevant materials would be incorporated into their consumer product portfolios.

The SpecialChem Client is looking for materials that would form a solid clear and transparent stick. The material must:

• Have a Melting Point:
• Be soluble or compatible with anhydrous materials, such as fatty alcohol (e.g. octyldodecanol), esters (e.g. diisostearyl malate), oils (e.g. jojoba oil) and hydrocarbon (e.g. polybutene, polyisobutene)
• Be low odor / odorless
• Have no adverse taste or be tasteless
• Have no known toxic effect on human skin (material can not be on hazardous list such as TSCA or California Prop 65; no none carcinogens, mutagens, etc.)
• Material can’t be derived from animals
• Compositional information must be shared for safety evaluation and commercialization in accordance with government regulations
• Materials / technologies should be commercial or close to commercialization
• Materials / technology must be protected by intellectual property or have clear freedom of operate

The stick formed must be:

• Clear and transparent or translucent (tinted color would be acceptable)
• Form a self-supporting stick without external support with minimum usage level, preferably less than 5%. Minimum stick hardness requirement: 40g/5mm penetration (2 mm needle) measured with Texture Analyzer Penetration Test
• Have reasonable payoff; or composition easily transferred from stick to substrate through rubbing

The SpecialChem Client is expecting to evaluate the materials/technology immediately and to incorporate the proposed materials/technology in their new product development in 1-4 years