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A Revolutionary Filler: Partnership With Takemoto Oil & Fat
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| Challenge |
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| Many types of fillers are used in the cosmetic industry. These fillers are key to the performance of cosmetic formulation as they modify the texture and optical properties of products. At the time of this project, L´Oréal was exploring how to develop formulations having better sensorial and optical properties. |
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| Forming the Partnership |
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The Project began in 2002 after L’Oreal discovered that a Japanese company, Takemoto Oil & Fat, was developing a new type of filler. Though Takemoto was mainly involved in the textile and food industries, their work sounded intriguing. Arranging a meeting with Takemoto, we learned that they had discovered a very unique process that enables synthesizing fillers
- Having virtually any possible shape, including a bowl shape
- With an excellent similarity in shape and size (disparities in shape and size have poorer optical properties)
- And based on silicone chemistry.
All this was of sufficient interest and potential application for LOreal to propose partnering with Takemoto. |
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| Collaborative Process |
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No formal contract was signed between the companies due to a mutual understanding in terms of technical expertise and a solid relationship. To the collaboration, Takemoto brought a rich knowledge of organic chemistry. L´Oréal contributed expertise in cosmetic formulation and properties of cosmetic fillers. Drawing on synthetic chemists from Takemoto and L´Oréal members from technical survey, raw material and make-up and skin care applied research, we formed a highly efficient work group to expedite development.
Main issues solved during the development of the filler were the control of surface chemistry, agglomeration of the filler, as well as maintaining shape and properties during the scale-up.
In a very short time, Takemoto was able to synthesise many different fillers. These fillers were screened by the L´Oréal make–up and skin care team in various liquid, solid and powder formulations. We quickly obtained very good performance with bowl-shaped fillers having a thin wall. |
| Successes |
The unexpected benefit of our work was that we were able to use the same candidate, a material called Diakalyte, for both skin care and make-up. The hollow hemispherical microparticles of Diakalyte had an incredible regularity and optimized the skin-light interactions, evened out the shadows and lights of the complexion, and was softer/lighter on the skin.
We also discovered unexpected synergies between Diakalyte and other cosmetic ingredients such as silicone elastomer, plate type filler or pearl pigments.
Finally, we were surprised to see efficacy at a very low level, due to the large ratio between volume occupied by the filler and the weight of the filler. |
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| Products launched with the technology: |
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| Commercial Application |
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Our new filler material was first featured in a commercial product launched in Asia in 2005, less than two years after the first lab samples were received. Since then, it has also been used in over 40 skin care products. |
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