Polymers in cosmetics

Rufe RG. Cellulose polymers in cosmetics and toiletries. Cosmet Perfum 1975 90(3) 93-94, 99-100. 

Goodard ED, Schmitt RL. Adsorption of cationic polymers. In Cosmetic Toiletries Applied Research Series Hair Care. Carol Stream, IL Allured Pubhshing Corp, 1996 21-25. Schmitt RL, Goddard ED. Adsorption of cationic polymers—Part 2. In Cosmetic Toiletries Applied Research Series Hair Care. Carol Stream, IL Allured Publishing Corp, 1996 26-30. Goddard ED, Faucher JA, Scott RJ, Turney ME. Adsorption of polymer JR on keratinous surfaces—Part II. J Soc Cosmet Chem 1975 26 539-550. 

Lochhead, R. Y. [2007]. The role of polymers in cosmetics Recent trends, ACS Symposium Series, 1,1-54. 

Carbopol is widely used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical practice as a gel-former. Carbopol resins are hydrophilic polymers which swell in water solutions and transform into the gel form at neutralization. At the elaboration of special cosmetic preparations in which carbopol is used, the problem of raw materials compatibility appears. For example, some extracts of aromatic pectin containing materials destroy the gel structure of carbopol. High contents of bivalent metal ions, in particular calcium ions, destructively influence onto the gel-making ability of the system too. 

Polyfvinyl pyrrolidone), prepared from iV-vinylpyrrolidone, is used both in cosmetics and as a synthetic blood substitute. Draw a representative segment of the polymer. 

ThF Tadros. Polymeric surfactants , stabilization of emulsions and dispersions. In E Desmond Goddard, JV Gruber, eds. Principles of Polymer Science and Technology in Cosmetics and Personal Care. New York Marcel Dekker, 1999, pp 73-112. 

Uses. Plasticizer in the production of polymer products in cosmetics manometer fluid insect repellant... 

Uses. Photographic reducer and developer antioxidant stabilizing agent for some polymers intermediate in the manufacturing of some dyes and pigments in cosmetic formulations... 

Many other cyclic ethers have been polymerized using cationic polymerization. Ethylene oxide (also called oxirane) polymerizes forming poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) (structure 5.24) in the presence of acids such as sulfuric acid, producing a wide range of chain-sized polymers sold under various trade names including Carbowax and Poly ox. PEO is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals (as water-soluble pill coatings and capsules). 

Finally, for practical reasons it is useful to classify polymeric materials according to where and how they are employed. A common subdivision is that into structural polymers and functional polymers. Structural polymers are characterized by - and are used because of - their good mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. Hence, they are primarily used as construction materials in addition to or in place of metals, ceramics, or wood in applications like plastics, fibers, films, elastomers, foams, paints, and adhesives. Functional polymers, in contrast, have completely different property profiles, for example, special electrical, optical, or biological properties. They can assume specific chemical or physical functions in devices for microelectronic, biomedical applications, analytics, synthesis, cosmetics, or hygiene. 

Currently, research is underway to modify HA in such a way as to make it more stable and to confer very specific properties. Another direction in such research is to combine it with other materials, such as chondroitin sulfate and modified sugar polymers, to simulate more closely the associations that HA has in its natural state in vertebrate tissues. Since the low molecular size HA fragments are highly angiogenic, defining the optimal size of the HA polymer for cosmetic purposes should be a major goal of such research. 

Other companies have also produced condoms made from the polymer styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene which has the advantage of being even stretchier than polyurethane, thereby reducing the risk of tearing during use. There are also condoms lubricated with a combination of silicone oil and nonoxynol-9 which acts as a spermicide. Nonoxynol-9 is also used as a surfactant in cosmetic products, but it has the ability to interfere with the acrosomal membrane which covers the head of a sperm, causing it to become paralysed, which is why nonoxynol-9 has been widely used in lubricants for condoms and es-... 

Inulin etherification products have utility in cosmetics or pharmaceuticals as carriers for water-insoluble substances or to stabilize aqueous solutions of compounds with low water solubility. They may also be used as emulsifiers or as an additive in textiles and paper and as softeners of thermoplastic polymers (Kunz and Begli, 1995). 

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