Schülke & Mayr wins Zemea Innovation Award

Organized by DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products and now in its second year, the Zemea Innovation award programme recognizes companies that have used Zemea propanediol in innovative cosmetics and personal care ingredients or finished products.

Zemea propanediol is a 100 percent bio-based ingredient made from corn sugar through fermentation. Featuring antimicrobial and improved moisturisation properties, it is positioned as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based glycols and glycerin.

Sensiva PA 40 antimicrobial stabilizer blend​

Schülke & Mayr’s sensiva PA 40 multifunctional additive combines a nature-identical fragrance ingredient and gentle synthetic with natural propanediol. According to the company, propanediol improves the skin feel of formulations while enhancing the efficacy of antimicrobial components.

Additionally, Schülke & Mayr highlights that using nature-identical (rather than natural) and gentle synthetic materials means that sensiva PA 40’s colour, odour and activity level can be controlled precisely and standardised.

Sensiva PA 40 has been shown to be an effective antimicrobial stabilizer at a use level of 0.5-1.5 percent, the company says, and can be used in leave-on, wet-wipe and sensitive skin applications. The product also supports deodorant activity, notes Schülke & Mayr, as it has been proven to inhibit growth and multiplication of bacteria that causes odour.

Performance that rivals traditional preservative blends​

Steve Hurff, vice president of marketing & sales at DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products and a member of the jury that selected the winning product, said: “This innovative new product, sensiva PA 40, provides performance that rivals traditional preservative blends by capitalizing on the preservative boosting effects of Zemea and gentleness to the skin.”​

Fellow jury member Steve Herman, chairman of the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, stated that Zemea undoubtedly fills an important need as the industry continues to look for more sustainable solutions.

“It is a pleasure to see the continued application of Zemea for various purposes - as a natural alternative for solvent and carrier use, as a component of green chemistry informed new raw materials and as an enhancer of antimicrobial products,” ​he commented.

2013 winner of Zemea Innovation Awards​

At the inaugural Zemea Innovation Awards in 2013, Canada-based personal care products formulator and developer Knowlton Development Corp. was crowned the winner for its patented Natural Zea deodorant stick platform.

“Zemea propanediol enabled KDC to formulate an efficacious, mild, 100 percent natural deodorant that is clinically proven to support a 24-hour odor protection claim,” ​commentedMatt Unger, vice president of global business development, innovation and marketing at Knowlton Development Corp.