Air Products Acquires Rovi Cosmetics

Air Products Acquires Rovi Cosmetics

• Air Products has acquired Schluchtern, Germany-based firm Rovi Cosmetics International GmbH, a leader in the development of cosmetic actives and delivery systems for the European personal care industry. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rovi Cosmetics has 18 employees and provides targeted and differentiated delivery systems that enable personal care formulators’ performance and label claims in their finished skin care and hair care products.

“We are pleased to complete the acquisition of Rovi Cosmetics and continue to build our personal care portfolio,” said Pam Mattimore, vice president and general manager of performance materials for Air Products. “This acquisition adds critical mass to our business as we develop into a differentiated specialty ingredient supplier to the personal care industry.”

Rovi Cosmetics’ product lines will complement Air Products’ current offering, which includes temperature switch polymers under the Intelimer brand, “functional-feel” polymers under Deposilk brand, and Hybridur urethane-acrylic interpenetrating network polymers.

“We are excited about this opportunity. Air Products and Rovi present a perfect match that will facilitate the development and global sale of advanced skin care actives,” said Dirk Teichmuller, president and chief executive officer of Rovi Cosmetics.

Chemsil Silicones Names New Midwest Rep

• Effective Jan. 1, Holden Chemicals will provide sales and service support to personal care and cosmetic customers in the greater Chicago and Great Lakes region on behalf of Chemsil Silicones Inc.
Holly Fath, owner of Holden Chemicals, brings 29 years of direct personal care industry experience having worked in commercial roles at several skin care formulators and fragrance companies as well as account executive positions at Arch Chemical, Croda and Picon.

Bob Griffiths, vice president of Chemsil, said, “Holly is well known by many formulators in the industry and a long-standing SCC member. We look forward to continuing our sales growth in conjunction with Holden Chemicals.”

Chemsil continues to operate a warehouse in Chicago for prompt deliveries.

Delaware Governor Visits Croda’s Atlas Point Site

L-R: Jon Elliott (process development team leader, Croda Inc), Alan Levin (cabinet secretary for economic development), Robert Stewart (site director, Atlas Point, Croda Inc), Jack Markell (Governor of Delaware), Robert Bellino (site engineering manager, Croda Inc) and Robert Touhey (SHE manager, Croda Inc).

• Delaware Governor Jack Markell toured Croda’s Atlas Point Manufacturing Facility in New Castle, DE. As part of his visit, he observed the many recent updates and improvements Croda has made in the site since acquiring it as part of the Uniqema acquisition from ICI in 2006. Improvements that include significant investment in safety, health and environmental upgrades, energy efficiency and productivity improvements and new capacity for lubricant esters.

In addition, discussions involved new developments at the site including a plan for supplying power to the plant from landfill gas as part of a project with Cummins Engineering and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority, scheduled to go live later in 2012.

“It is an honor and a privilege to welcome Governor Markell to the Atlas Point facility,” said Robert Stewart, site director, Atlas Point, Croda Inc. “We are pleased to demonstrate the changes in the plant that have improved the health, safety and productivity of our facility and allowed us to be good neighbors in Delaware.”

More info: www.crodausa.com

Arizona Chemical SelectsKale Kimya, HSH Chemie

• Arizona Chemical has entered into an exclusive agreement with Kale Kimya to distribute the company’s unique line of bio-based specialty polymers in Turkey. Under the agreement, which was effective Jan. 1, 2012, Kale Kimya will offer Sylvaclear, Sylvasol and Uniclear polymers, Arizona Chemical’s patented specialty products that provide a broad range of functionality in personal care applications.

Kale Kimya will also offer Sylvagel specialty polymeric gellants for home and industrial applications.
Additionally, Arizona Chemical has entered into an agreement with HSH Chemie Distribution Group to distribute the company’s unique line of bio-based specialty polymers in Eastern Europe. Under the agreement, which was effective Jan. 1, 2012, HSH Group will offer Sylvaclear, Sylvasol and Uniclear polymers as well as Sylvagel specialty polymeric gellants for home and industrial applications.

More info: www.arizonachemical.com

Kao Moving Corporate HQ To Downtown Cincinnati

• Kao USA Inc. will relocate its corporate headquarters and more than 200 marketing, sales, market research, creative and administration employees from its current facility on Spring Grove Avenue to downtown Cincinnati and make significant investments in its Spring Grove research and development and manufacturing facilities.

“The Ohio Department of Development and the Cincinnati Economic Development Department have been collaborative and creative partners in supporting our desire to remain and grow in the city of Cincinnati,” said Bill Gentner, Kao’s president for Consumer Products Americas and EMEA. “This important decision will provide us with an opportunity to better harness Kao’s global scale and resources for the benefit of consumers and customers in the North American, European, Middle East and Africa markets.”

“With the exciting growth and progress of downtown Cincinnati, these investments will also enable us to retain and attract the high-end talent that we need to compete and grow,” Gentner added.
Pending further negotiations and final review and approval by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority, Kao expects to enter into an agreement where the state of Ohio provides certain public incentives in exchange for Kao’s commitment to invest up to $21 million in facility improvements, retain 500 jobs and create 50 new jobs.

Kao also expects to enter into a similar agreement with the City of Cincinnati.

“The City of Cincinnati is an important part of Kao’s overall growth strategy,” said Gentner. “We are excited to be here, to compete here, to grow here and to succeed in Ohio and the city of Cincinnati.”

WFFC Names 2012 Scholarship Award Recipients

• Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce (WFFC) has presented its 2012 WFFC scholarship awards.
Lauren Ritzmann, currently a senior at Ashford University in pursuit of her Bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in business administration, is the 2012 recipient of the Rita Flynn Memorial Fragrance Scholarship Award. Ritzmann’s ability to juggle many priorities with a fine balance embodies the spirit of the WFFC. In addition to working full-time at Kerry Ingredients & Flavors, she attends college and is raising a young family.

Diane Schmitt is the 2012 recipient of the WFFC Flavor Scholarship Award. She is studying at Cornell University.

More info: www.wffc.org

Ecolab To Add a New Building At Schuman Campus

• Ecolab Inc. is constructing a new building on the company’s Schuman Campus in Eagan, MN. The 51,000 sq.-ft. facility will house a state-of-the-art training center for the company’s institutional business which provides cleaning and sanitation products, programs and services to customers in the food service, hospitality and health care industries. The facility also will provide additional space for research facilities expansion, the company said.

The institutional training center will include wet labs and classrooms as well as a conference room and offices for training staff. Customer-facing employees from around the country will receive training at the center on the latest Ecolab products and service solutions, according to Ecolab executives.

“Our new training center will help ensure that we continue to maintain the industry’s best-trained sales and service force and provide customers with outstanding technical support and service,” said Mike Hickey, executive vice president and president, institutional division.

Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Is May 17-19 in New York

• The North American edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit aims to tackle some of the major sustainability issues in the beauty industry. Held at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel in New York May 17-19, the three-day summit focuses on green formulations and sustainable packaging; other key topics on the agenda are sustainability metrics and marketing innovations. Additionally, for the first time, a summit will showcase popular techniques to measure the environmental footprint of personal care products.

With research showing raw materials and packaging comprise the highest environmental impact of personal care products, the summit hones in on these key areas. Dedicated sessions and plenary workshops cover green formulations and sustainable packaging. An update will be given on the palette of green ingredients available to formulators, while the gamut of sustainable packaging options will be highlighted.

The opening session, “Sustainability Best-Practices” will highlight the various ways cosmetic companies are measuring and reducing their environmental and social footprints. Joby Carlson from the Sustainability Consortium will give an update on Life Cycle Assessment methodologies for cosmetics. Susan Arnot Heaney, global director of corporate responsibility of Avon, will show how the company’s raft of sustainability programs is improving corporate efficiency. The company is reducing its environmental impact by investing in green buildings, undertaking sustainable sourcing and decreasing material usage.

Natura Cosmetics will share its experiences in carbon management tools. To meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral, the company is implementing a number of techniques to measure, reduce and offset its carbon emissions. Harriet Hentges from Ahold USA will give a retailer’s perspective on sustainability and how it relates to personal care products. Other papers will discuss the use of sustainability metrics to measure environmental footprints and performance indicators.

In the Green Formulations session, Jari Alander from AAK will compare the environmental footprint of vegetable oil-based ingredients with those derived from petrochemicals, while a representative from Evonik will discuss the application of green chemistry principles in novel processing techniques for cosmetic ingredients.

Judi Beerling, head of technical research at Organic Monitor, discusses the alternatives to parabens in cosmetic formulations in a dedicated workshop. She will go through the various options available to formulators looking to replace this contentious group of preservatives. Other speakers will cover the challenges of formulating functional natural skin care products, novel actives from developing countries, and natural ingredients for anti-aging.

The final session of the conference will review the range of sustainable packaging options available to cosmetic brands. The opening speaker will look at the influence of materials and design on the environmental footprint of cosmetic packaging. Other papers will cover novel re-usable materials, upcycling & recycled packaging, eco-design, and the potential of bioplastics. Procter & Gamble and Hain Celestial will share their experiences in tackling the packaging conundrum. In addition, Dr. Ramani Narayan, Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, will give a practical workshop to cosmetic companies looking at adopting sustainable packaging solutions on day three of the summit.

More info: www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com

CPL Aromas, Blind Person’s Association Conducts Research

Research carried out by CPL Aromas and the Blind Persons’ Association has produced results that could lead to employment opportunities for the visually impaired.

• New research carried out by CPL Aromas and the Blind Persons’ Association in Mumbai has produced results that could lead to employment opportunities for the visually impaired in industries where an increased perception of odors is essential.

A team of CPL Aromas experts conducted an industry standard odor assessment test on 279 people who are visually impaired at the premises of the Department of Rehabilitation, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai in April 2011. The test examined the candidates’ ability to differentiate between very similar odors and to rank identical odors that have been diluted in different concentrations into their correct order of strength. The results of this test indicate that, compared to the control test of sighted people, the group of visually impaired scored twice as well.

CPL Aromas is examining ways in which these findings could advance the employment opportunities for the visually impaired in the fragrance and associated industries.

ASTM Seeks Input on Commercial Laundry Standard

• ASTM has invited all interested parties to join in the development of a proposed new ASTM International standard that will identify and define sustainable best management practices that are used in commercial laundry facilities to reduce their impact on the environment.

ASTM WK35985 Practice for Sustainable Laundry Best Management Practices is being developed by Subcommittee D13.40 on Sustainability of Textiles under the jurisdiction of ASTM International Committee D13 on Textiles.

“We are looking to further reduce our carbon footprint and enhance our environmental stewardship by developing ASTM WK35985,” said Gary D. Gramp, Textile Rental Services Association, and chairman of the task group developing ASTM WK35985. “Our goal is to encourage the implementation of best management practices for sustainability at all commercial laundry facilities.”

According to Gramp, the methodology contained in ASTM WK35985 for assessing best management practices will be used in the commercial laundry industry to certify that the laundry process of a given establishment is sustainable and compliant to the standard. Areas to be covered in the proposed standard include environmentally-friendly, low-temperature detergents and nonylphenol ethoxylate-free detergents among other issues.

In addition to owners of commercial laundry facilities, Gramp said that potential stakeholder groups for ASTM WK35985 would include users of reusable textiles in the restaurant, hospitality and healthcare industries, government agencies and environmental organizations.

More info: www.astm.org