Sensory Kaleidoscope – Making skin feel visible

Evonik’s Personal Care Business Line has developed a new tool for formulating skin care products with specific sensory properties: Sensory Kaleidoscope.

Skin feel as a deciding factor
Skin feel is one of the main influence factors when it comes to purchasing decisions and loyalty to care products. Using the format of a sensory map, the new interactive tool developed by Evonik reflects the effect of formulations with different emulsifiers on skin feel. Based on Evonik’s broad product portfolio, experience in application technology, and expertise in sensory evaluation and statistical analysis, Sensory Kaleidoscope enables the development of formulations with the desired skin feel and helps to turn current sensory trends directly into new products.

Sensory Panel
As a specialist in cosmetic ingredients, Evonik used a descriptive in-house panel to analyze the sensory properties of various formulations with emulsifiers from its own portfolio. In a large number of tests, the trained panelists evaluated the skin feel during application of the formulations and five minutes after absorption.

Visualization of complex data
The use of statistical methods and the resulting concentration on two factors made it possible to graphically display the broad set of data in a simple, two-dimensional coordinate system. Sensory Kaleidoscope demonstrates the wide range of sensory effects that can be achieved with emulsifiers made by Evonik. Customers can select desired sensory areas and analyze them from different perspectives.

Focus on emulsifiers
The initial focus of the tool is on O/W and W/O emulsifiers, such as the organomodified silicone emulsifier ABIL® Care XL 80 or the polyglyceryl-based ISOLAN® GPS. Application forms range from light sprays to rich creams. In addition, Sensory Kaleidoscope displays different options for expanding the sensory range by changing certain formulation components.

The interactive tool comes with a set of sample formulations that turn the skin feel in the various sensory areas into a tangible experience. Sensory Kaleidoscope facilitates the development of new products with specific sensory properties by making the process more direct, interactive, and easier.