National Starch Personal Care Puts the “Personal” Back into Personal Care at SCC Suppliers Day 2007

New applications technology, new product and new website underscore commitment to developing solutions for formulators

Edison, New Jersey (May 15, 2007) – At the Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ (SCC) Suppliers Day in Edison, New Jersey, National Starch Personal Care offered visitors a look at the future of the personal care supplier. That future positions the supplier as offering increasingly customized versions of technology combined with formulating assistance and consumer and sensory science in an effort to speed commercialization of products that win in the marketplace. National Starch unveiled a technology offering called Beautiful & Beyond™ that showcased formulated hair care and skin care products that delivered on consumer needs for longer-lasting performance. It also debuted DERMACRYL® C film forming polymer, a new easy-to-handle, high-performance aqueous emulsion polymer that delivers improved resistance to wear in color cosmetic applications such as mascara and eyeliners. The company presented its new website personalcarepolymers.com. Initially launched at the In-Cosmetics tradeshow in Paris, the website is in keeping with a commitment to deliver more personalized attention and a broader range of resources for the technology and formulating needs of customers.

According to Penny Vanemon, Director of Marketing, the National Starch Personal Care organization is changing the way it serves the personal care industry to better support the need for product innovation on demand. “Because the market rewards consumer product companies for having the right product ideas on the store shelves at the right time, the personal care industry is looking for new ways to lower product development times and improve the success of their products with consumers. As a supplier of personal care technology, National Starch has invested in many of the disciplines previously used only by end-product manufacturers, to enhance our ability to serve our customers needs. As an example, we now conduct consumer research to keep a close eye on the trends emerging in the marketplace. When we find a new trend, we can go back to the laboratory and prepare a technology offering that allows customers to develop new hair or skin care products without delay,” she said. “This is an intensely customer-focused position that says to them: we will invest in the resources it takes for you to succeed,” she added.

New technology initiative offers longer-lasting performance

An example of National Starch’s commitment to investing in new resources and technologies was seen at SCC Suppliers’ Day with its introduction of the Beautiful & Beyond™ formulating initiative aimed at helping companies tap into the 24-hour-a-day lifestyle trend. The goal of the program is to deliver innovative product concepts, consumer and sensory research and higher levels of value in customer formulations designed for this fast-growing market segment. The initiative builds upon National Starch’s leadership in natural and synthetic polymer technology, and through the work of its global R&D network, seeks to design formulation concepts that break new ground in delivering increasingly long-lasting performance in tested consumer-pleasing personal care products.

According to Maria Tolchinsky, Global Marketing Manager, consumer research conducted by National Starch Personal Care showed that over 80% of surveyed consumers in the EU and United States consider long-lasting performance very important in skin care. In hair care, that number is 75%. “What we’re looking at is proof of the 24-hour a day lifestyle trend that has been growing in the market,” she said.

Innovation for the color cosmetics industry

With the introduction of DERMACRYL® C film forming polymer, National Starch Personal Care is delivering the long-lasting benefit to the color cosmetics industry. DERMACRYL® C film forming polymer is a new easy-to-handle, high-performance acrylic emulsion polymer that delivers improved resistance to wear, allowing the creation of consumer products that last longer and perform better. The primary application for DERMACRYL® C film forming polymer will be in eye makeup such as mascara and eyeliners, with other applications possible including foundations, eye shadows, blushes and more. Products made with the DERMACRYL® C film forming polymer are longer lasting, yet they are more easily removed. They are more substantive than industry benchmarks, but with a feel that is soft and natural. They are volumizing, but at the same time are easily applied.

National Starch Personal Care placed on display samples of mascara containing the DERMACRYL® C film forming polymer as well as fully formulated products associated with the Beautiful & Beyond™ initiative.

New, personalizable website

At the In-Cosmetics tradeshow last month, National Starch Personal Care debuted its new website designed as a personalized resource for formulators and marketers. According to Charles Aaron, Senior Customer Support and Business IT Manager, the launch of personalcarepolymers.com on April 16th was a huge success. “The feedback from those who had looked at the site confirmed what we had believed all along, mainly that it is important to place a priority on the ‘personal’ in an industry that is increasingly global and moving faster than ever. The debut of personalcarepolymers.com last month is a perfect example of our commitment to making the personal care supplier experience more personal,” he added.

Personalcarepolymers.com features a broad range of content, from a searchable formulation database and primers on formulating concepts in both hair care and skin care to a searchable product database based on functionality and application. The site also features product literature, webinars and more. It features a basic level of functionality for the general visitor and an enhanced functionality and greater depth of content for registered users.