This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is directed towards the development of a non-ionic thickening agent for personal care products, which does not contain poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Reports have stated that commercially available PEG contains small levels of undesirable side products. Therefore, there is a strong need to create an efficient, "PEG-free" thickening agent. The proposed structure of the thickening agent is an amphiphilic copolymer, synthesized using a powerful polymerization technique known as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). A systematic library of copolymers will be synthesized during this project, with variations in the architecture of the molecule, the type of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups used, and the molecular weight. The thickening properties of each molecule will be determined in an aqueous solution, such as a shampoo base. It is expected that the best performing copolymers will efficiently thicken cosmetic formulations at concentrations of less than 1% by weight. The information obtained from the synthesized polymeric library will determine which copolymer should be optimized for scale-up and commercialization.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the need to replace PEG-based personal care additives, driven by reports that these materials contain toxic side products left after the manufacturing process, such as 1,4-dioxane, among others. The United States Food and Drug Administration recognizes PEG as a source of potential contaminants, and has monitored levels of 1,4-dioxane in personal care products since the late 1970s. Although current products on the market have minimal amounts of 1,4-dioxane, heightened consumer awareness is causing several companies to consider "PEG-free" alternatives, especially in more sensitive applications. Besides personal care and cosmetic products, PEG is also used in all polymeric drug delivery systems that are on the market. For this type of application, even small amounts of toxic compounds are unacceptable. The technology used in this proposed research to develop a PEG replacement has great potential to also be used in the development of novel drug delivery systems. Therefore, the product generated from this research project is expected to attract considerable attention from several areas of industry.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project developed a new thickening agent for personal care products, Surfaclear™, which does not contain poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). There is a need to replace PEG-based ingredients due to the presence of toxic residual (e.g. 1,4-dioxane). However, PEG-based thickeners are widely used in cosmetics and personal care products because of the limited selection of effective rheology modifiers. Therefore, there is a growing need for an efficient, "PEG-free" thickening agent to meet the critical market demand. Surfaclear™ is an amphiphilic copolymer synthesized using a powerful polymerization technique known as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). This new ingredient showed excellent thickening efficiency in "PEG-free" formulations and outperformed one of the best PEG-based thickeners currently on the market. More importantly, the shampoo formulated with Surfaclear™ is thick, clear and has a luxurious feel. The commercialization of Surfaclear™ will provide formulators with an effective ingredient to make "PEG-free" products. Rheology modifiers play an important role in the end-user experience of personal care products. This call of ingredients impact the viscosity, flow behavior and aesthetics of a finished product. To design a safer thickener without compromising performance is challenging. The market demand to replace PEG-based personal care additives is urgent. The United States Food and Drug Administration recognizes PEG as a source of potential contaminants, and has monitored levels of 1,4-dioxane in personal care products since the late 1970s. Although current products on the market have minimal amounts of 1,4-dioxane, heightened consumer awareness is driving companies to develop "PEG-free" brands, especially in more sensitive applications. We have designed a scalable process to yield Surfaclear™, which at commercial introduction, will be a PEG-free, non-toxic ingredient. This project has deepened our understanding of polymer design, enriched our experience in optimizing the ATRP process, improved our product platform for rheology modifiers and enabled our company to envision other products which improve toxicity and environment impact.
