About this Research Topic
Home and personal care products (“HPC”) from face creams to floor cleaners are entirely dependent on chemicals which are combined in formulations to achieve the desired effects. A typical shower gel for example, can contain more than 10 different compounds. Traditionally, the composition of such formulations was driven by cost and properties including the “effect” as well as factors designed to attract the consumer. Formulation scientists have created novel products by often subtle changes of properties including odour, appearance and feel. However, the factors influencing the choice of chemicals in any HPC formulation are changing with safety playing an even more important role alongside environmental impact with sustainability becoming increasingly important.
Consumer concerns about chemicals generally and about particular adverse effects of chemicals in their products such as allergies are putting manufacturers and retailers under pressure to remove some commonly used compounds such as acrylates and phosphates. At the same time, chemical legislation is forcing an unprecedented degree of testing of all industrial chemicals and the list of chemicals deemed to be too unsafe to use is rapidly growing. These drivers for change coupled with an increasing desire for products derived from renewable rather than fossil resources makes the move towards green and sustainable chemistry irresistible. The chemistry community needs to create a “green chemistry toolbox” of chemicals that have a sustainable lifecycle and production process, are cost-effective and offer the range of properties desired by formulation scientists. These include sunscreen agents, solvents, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, dyes and colourants. These new products and formulations then have to be turned into actual products. New supply chains are required. Packaging suitable for these new products also needs to be considered.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• The business case for change
• Benign by design
• Greener surfactants
• Bio-based polymers for HPC products
• Green solvents for HPC products
• Non acrylate-based nail gels
• Biodegradable chelants
• Biodegradable colourants
• Novel anti-oxidants
• Production of greener ingredients
• Optimisation of supply chains
• Realizing the new recipes
Consumer concerns about chemicals generally and about particular adverse effects of chemicals in their products such as allergies are putting manufacturers and retailers under pressure to remove some commonly used compounds such as acrylates and phosphates. At the same time, chemical legislation is forcing an unprecedented degree of testing of all industrial chemicals and the list of chemicals deemed to be too unsafe to use is rapidly growing. These drivers for change coupled with an increasing desire for products derived from renewable rather than fossil resources makes the move towards green and sustainable chemistry irresistible. The chemistry community needs to create a “green chemistry toolbox” of chemicals that have a sustainable lifecycle and production process, are cost-effective and offer the range of properties desired by formulation scientists. These include sunscreen agents, solvents, surfactants, viscosity modifiers, dyes and colourants. These new products and formulations then have to be turned into actual products. New supply chains are required. Packaging suitable for these new products also needs to be considered.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• The business case for change
• Benign by design
• Greener surfactants
• Bio-based polymers for HPC products
• Green solvents for HPC products
• Non acrylate-based nail gels
• Biodegradable chelants
• Biodegradable colourants
• Novel anti-oxidants
• Production of greener ingredients
• Optimisation of supply chains
• Realizing the new recipes
Keywords: consumer goods, HPC, personal care, surfactants, manufacturing technologies
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
