Sidebars

• White Smile, Green Formulation

  White Smile, Green Formulation

  Today’s consumers are looking for safe, gentle and more natural oral products. But that’s not all. They are looking for professional quality to address their personal care needs effectively as well.

  Dentisse was specifically formulated with this in mind. The brand’s Natural Solution is an alcohol-free mouth rinse that uses plant-based essential oils to attack odor-causing bacteria without the burning and drying sensation found in traditional alcohol mouthwashes. Natural Reflection toothpaste uses refined white clay, which is much gentler than the silica used in most toothpastes, but still very effective at stain removal. “It also has superior polishing properties and low abrasion,” according to Steve Wilson, director of sales and marketing for Dentisse.

  Liberal usage of “organic” labeling hurts manufacturers that are working hard with time and resources to find formulation solutions. “It’s difficult to compete with unscrupulous manufacturers where the bottom dollar is all that matters,” says Wilson. But as consumers become more savvy to the differences between regulated organics and more openly defined naturals, they are paying more attention to product composition and are scrutinizing labels more closely.

  One of the biggest challenges or opportunities for formulators is replacing safe synthetic ingredients with natural ones for the sake of a label or marketing claim. Often they do not have comparable physical attributes, efficacious results or long-term stability data. “Our goal is to develop oral care products as natural as possible, without sacrificing superior dental care properties,” says Wilson.

  The demand for natural and sustainable products encourages brands to get creative and look at alternatives in the formulation and packaging science in personal care, in order to compete on a global scale. “It is up to us as manufactures to seek out and reward green suppliers that offer solutions to traditional synthetic ingredients,” says Wilson. “Many suppliers are recognizing this and have stepped up to be a part of the solution.”

• EPA’s 12 Principles of Green Chemistry

  EPA’s 12 Principles of Green Chemistry

  1. Prevention. It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it has been created.
  2. Atom Economy. Synthetic methods should be designed to maximize the incorporation of all materials used in the process into the final product.
  3. Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses. Wherever practicable, synthetic methods should be designed to use and generate substances that possess little or no toxicity to human health and the environment.
  4. Designing Safer Chemicals. Chemical products should be designed to effect their desired function while minimizing their toxicity.
  5. Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries. The use of auxiliary substances (e.g., solvents, separation agents, etc.) should be made unnecessary wherever possible and innocuous when used.
  6. Design for Energy Efficiency. Energy requirements of chemical processes should be recognized for their environmental and economic impacts and should be minimized. If possible, synthetic methods should be conducted at ambient temperature and pressure.
  7. Use of Renewable Feedstocks. A raw material or feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting whenever technically and economically practicable.
  8. Reduce Derivatives. Unnecessary derivatization (use of blocking groups, protection/ deprotection, temporary modification of physical/chemical processes) should be minimized or avoided if possible, because such steps require additional reagents and can generate waste.
  9. Catalysis. Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior to stoichiometric reagents.
  10. Design for Degradation. Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they break down into innocuous degradation products and do not persist in the environment.
  11. Real-time Analysis for Pollution Prevention. Analytical methodologies need to be further developed to allow for real-time, in-process monitoring and control prior to the formation of hazardous substances.
  12. Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention. Substances and the form of a substance used in a chemical process should be chosen to minimize the potential for chemical accidents, including releases, explosions and fires.