TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Cosmetics Skin Care
An Interview with Federico Aphalo, Global Commercial Product Manager of Personal Care at AAK
AAK is a world-leading producer of value-adding-based oils. AAK Personal Care has a strong focus on developing sustainable and resilient supply chains and using its lipid expertise to develop high-performance natural emollients optimized to fit sensorial and functionality needs.
We interviewed Federico Aphalo, Global Commercial Product Manager of Personal Care at AAK. He focuses on AAK’s core and explains how all butters and oils are not the same. This emphasizes the fact that, as a formulator, it is key to look beyond the INCI name when selecting an ingredient.
#1. We hear in AAK you specialize in optimizing and functionalizing plant-based emollients. Can you elaborate on what you do?
When formulating with
plant-based ingredients several challenges appear, some of which are common to traditionally used ingredients while some are new. To highlight some of the key issues:
- We know that formulating with tropical butters can lead to crystallization problems or bloom and natural ingredients are subject to oxidation which can pose problems in the final product.
- We also know that aesthetics and sensorials are key, so different textures and clarities are needed, depending on the end formulation.
This is where AAK uses lipid expertise to tackle the issues mentioned.
#2. And how is that related to the importance of looking beyond the INCI?
Let's think first about the oxidation stability of
vegetable oils. As a formulator, you might be interested in using sunflower oil, or canola oil – so you would look for the respective INCI and identify a bunch of commercially available products. In theory, they are all the same, refined oils.
However, vegetable oils are prone to oxidation which can lead to a change of color or odor – i.e., they can become rancid. During oxidation, compounds such as aldehydes, alcohols, or ketones can be formed, which can be damaging to the skin. All that can also lead to aesthetical changes in formulation, as well as the degradation of other ingredients in the formulation.
Because of that, understanding the oxidative stability of vegetable oil is key when choosing it – as that will affect the shelf life of the final product as well as avoid potential negative developments in the final product. Some key parameters to look at are:
- Peroxide value (PV) at release or at the end of shelf life
- Iodine value (IV)
- Oxidative stability index (OSI)
Those are good indicators of the oxidative stability of a product and will reflect the shelf life of the oil.
AAK recommends anyone interested in this topic to sign up for their masterclass focusing on this topic:
The Knowledge Center for Lipid Chemistry and Technologies.
#3. You have also mentioned crystallization as a key parameter to take into consideration, how does one go about this?
Achieving thermally stable formulations with the desired sensory qualities poses a significant challenge for formulators working with tropical butters. Bloom, characterized by a coarse and gritty texture in the final product, emerges as a common obstacle. Inadequate crystallization and fluctuations in temperature during shipping and storage contribute to the occurrence of bloom over time. The challenge of blooming intensifies when dealing with higher concentrations of tropical butters and/or anhydrous formulations, which are currently in vogue.
To address
crystallization control in the personal care sector, two strategic approaches can be pursued:
- A controlled crystallization process: Requires heavily controlled cooling and stirring, bringing complexity to the product development and production process, and it requires an in-depth understanding of the material.
- Optimizing the functionality of the tropical butter: The melting and crystallization properties of the butter variants can be optimized to guarantee bloom-free formulations with improved temperature stability.
AAK’s soft technologies are an example of how ingredients with the same INCI can behave very differently. This can be visualized in the video below, where the formulations will be in theory identical, from an INCI perspective, but the result is completely different.
AAK’s Soft Technologies Depict Ingredients with the Same INCI Can Behave Differently
#4. What parameter(s)/measurement(s) would you recommend formulators to look into when selecting oils and butters?
I have mentioned above some of the measurements and parameters to look into with regard to oxidation stability. In addition, one analysis that AAK always recommends formulators to look into when selecting oils and butters is the melting profile. The melting profile illustrates solid fat content across temperatures, which gives information on how the butter variants will behave both on the skin and in formulations.
Below, the melting profiles compare
AAK's optimized soft butters with standard refined equivalents, revealing distinct differences despite sharing the same INCI name.
- A lower solid fat content at room temperature (20°C) indicates softer, more pliable butter.
- A higher solid fat content at skin temperature (35°C) aids in lipid barrier protection and repair, and indicates a longer playtime and richer feel.
- Additionally, the increased solid fat content at 40°C offers thermal stability to formulations, simplifying upscaling.
Melting Profiles of AAK's Soft Butter Variants Compared to Their Standard Refined Equivalents Measured by Test Method IUPAC 2.150 (b)
#5. You have also mentioned clarity as a key parameter – where does that come into play?
Plant-based raw materials are often turbid at room temperature, which is an issue for some applications where clear ingredients are a must. AAK has taken that into consideration, by developing, for example:
#6. Anything else that the INCI doesn’t tell us?
I have covered some of the key technical aspects but, of course, what the INCI does not tell us is anything about where and how the ingredient has been sourced and processed, which are aspects that are winning more and more relevance from both a consumer and regulatory perspective.
Today's consumers expect brands to provide more honesty and proof about their products – from efficacy to supply chain. Traceability and transparency are becoming mandatory as the green transition grows. Therefore, understanding where and how the ingredients have been sourced and processed is becoming more and more a key aspect of the ingredient selection process. At AAK, we have a strong focus on creating a sustainable and resilient supply chain.
Commercial Emollient Grades Offered by AAK
Select from a range of
20+ emollients by AAK in our database to achieve optimized functionality and sensorial needs. Analyze the technical data of each product, get technical assistance, or request samples.
About Federico Aphalo
Federico Aphalo has 25 years of experience in the cosmetic industry with a technical background in Pharmacy and Cosmetic Formulation, working with contract manufacturers in R&D and operations globally.
Federico Aphalo has developed his professional career in different parts of the world like LATAM, North America, and Europe offering a unique insight into the different markets and challenges that different markets face when formulating with naturals. |
DISCLAIMER: All images and graphs used in this article are copyright of AAK.