Getting under the skin of
colloids
Cosmetics and Colloids London, UK, 15 February 2005
 February’s
forthcoming conference on Cosmetics and Colloids will bring
two of SCI’s groups together with the Society of Cosmetic
Scientists for the first time.
‘The Society of Cosmetic Scientists has been running
conferences on product protection, inorganics and make-up,
but there has been little to link cosmetics to the fundamentals
of colloid science,’ Steve Lenon, a colloid scientist
at Disperse Technologies, told SCI Members' News, ‘The conference
will bring together academics and people working with cosmetics.’
The Society of Cosmetic Scientists’ primary aim is to
promote the science that underlies cosmetics and personal
care products. Links with chemistry are obvious, but biochemistry,
physiology, microbiology, dermatology, and even psychology
also relate to cosmetic science.
While many scientists work on colloids day to day, not many
have formal links with cosmetic companies, Dr Lenon points
out. Bristol University’s Prof Terence Cosgrove, who
will cover silicone emulsions and who spoke at a previous
SCI event in April, is an exception, having a link with Dow
Corning. Prof Tharwat Tadros, of Bristol and Imperial College,
UK, who will give a plenary talk on ‘Colloidal aspects
of cosmetic formulations with particular reference to polymeric
surfactants’, also has links with leading cosmetics companies.
Other speakers at the conference include Peter Williams of
North East Wales Institute who will speak on ‘Fluid gels
for the cosmetic industry’, and Uniquema’s Dr Lorna
Kessell who will discuss ‘Inorganic sunscreen actives:
optimising performance with colloid science’.
The conference will present a valuable opportunity for forging
more such links and identifying new areas for application
as well as opportunities for networking and future collaborations
between industry and academics, Dr Lenon noted.
Most importantly, it will also bring those working in cosmetics
to SCI. ‘Academics can always learn from those working
in applied fields, though the complex area of cosmetics is
more about formulation than fundamental science,’ Dr
Lenon said.
The ‘mainstay colloid people’ of both academics
and industrialists is another obvious group of attendees,
including those working wherever dispersion science is used,
such as paints and photographic film manufacturing. Bringing
such groups together should bring dividends in terms of sharing
Ideas and problem solving.
A third group who would benefit from attending include those
working in related industries, including pharmaceutical and
cosmeceuticals.
After the formal part of the conference, the day will close
with an evening lecture given by Dr Lenon’s colleague
Derek Wheeler, the technical director of Disperse Technologies,
on ‘The strange phenomena of high internal phase dispersions
(and their potential applications)’.
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