PRESS RELEASE
Monheim, June 25, 2008
Cognis at Cesio 2008 – “green” solutions to meet key market demands
For today’s consumer, the concepts of well-being, environmental sustainability and performance are closely linked. People want personal care and home care/I&I products to deliver a holistic experience. At the Cesio 2008, Cognis Care Chemicals exhibited a broad range of solutions supporting manufacturers to develop products and concepts designed to appeal to today’s environmentally conscious consumers, including surfactants, solubilizers, emulsifiers, and other performance ingredients.
Modern “green” consumers prefer products that are good for their well-being and the environment. And this is the overarching principle that lies behind Cognis’ Feelosophy® approach: Feelosophy® is based around the four key dimensions of a holistic product experience – perception, feel, usage, and effect – and also places special emphasis on the issues of protection and safety, with regard to the user and the environment alike, while at the same time offering convenience. One key element in Cognis’ sustainability-related portfolio is Green Chemical Solutions™. This unique classification system, which provides transparent and reliable information about the naturalness of the ingredients offered by Care Chemicals, was made possible by Cognis’ expertise in natural-based chemistry and processing know-how.
“Seeing sustainability as a recipe for success for ourselves as well as for our customers, we convert the increasing global demand for environmentally compatible manufacturing processes and end products into tangible market success,” comments Richard Ridinger, Executive Vice President Cognis Care Chemicals on the company’s strategy.
Combining well-being, sustainability, and performance
As an answer to consumers’ risen interest in the environmental and safety impact of the products they buy, Cognis established its “Protection & Safety Feelosophy.” It reflects the commitment to combine a holistic product experience and sustainability, for example by providing manufacturers environmentally sound and highly effective APG® surfactants. Obtained from renewable plant-derived raw materials, such as vegetable oils and starch, APG® combines mildness to human skin, environmental compatibility, and pose no risk to human health, yet still offer excellent cleaning performance in laundry detergents, hard surface cleaners, and manual dish detergents alike. APG® surfactants also show impressive performance in foaming, cleaning, and mildness in personal care products, which make them widely accepted by formulators and ideal for mild shampoos, bath, and shower gel applications. One of the latest additions to the Cognis APG® range is Plantacare® 1200 GLY. This “green” surfactant combines sustainability, mildness, and improved taste for oral care applications such as toothpaste.
Another example from Cognis’ “green” product range is Euperlan® Green, the first “green,” ethylene oxide and amine-free pearlizing wax dispersion. This novel, exceptionally mild and unique pearlizer is intended for use in appealing hair and body cleansing formulations that fit the trend towards natural, sustainable beauty products. Euperlan® Green represents a possibility to manufacture products which are not only “green” but also have a pleasing appearance. It is supplied as an easy-to-handle liquid. Because it is cold-processable, manufacturing processes that use it are both quicker and more energy-efficient.
Inspiring consumer’s imaginations, letting them achieve an overall sense of wellness, and providing ways to relax and re-energize is the focus of Cognis’ “Stimulation Feelosophy.” In this context ingredients like fragrances, essential oils, and actives play an increasingly important role in the purchasing decision for personal and home care products. However, incorporating these ingredients requires highly effective solubilizers. Cognis offers a wide range of high-performance solubilizers for use in a variety of formulations, including both clear liquids and milky products. While Eumulgin® L and Eumulgin® HPS perform exceptionally in water and water/ethanol systems, Eumulgin® ES is specially designed for surfactant-based systems.
Also part of Cognis’ “Stimulation Feelosophy” is Plantatex® HCC, our heat-activated Care Crystal® concept, which offers a different approach for fabric care including a new sensorial profile. Plantatex® HCC is designed to be formulated into fabric conditioner, ironing sprays, or liquid laundry detergents to provide a fabric rejuvenation effect as well as perceivable tactile shift. Tumbling, ironing, or washing initiates the heat activation of the Care Crystals®, forming a protective layer on the fabrics thus enabling textiles to remain looking good and feeling good. For consumers looking for ways to protect themselves with products that are mild to the skin, Cognis developed Plantatex® LLE. The skin caring content of this lipid layer enhancer is transferred from the laundry detergent or fabric softener to the skin via clothes.
With its “Easy Household Feelosophy,” Cognis offers technologies and solutions that make home care products easier to use while also ensuring high-performance. Among others, therefore the company invented Dehypon® 3697 GRA M, an intelligent granular rinse additive for multifunctional automatic dish detergents (ADD) which offers excellent rinse performance for both phosphate-free and phosphate-based formulations. It shows a low foaming profile, offers formulation flexibility, and complexity reduction in the production of ADD tablets and powders while being also readily biodegradable and compliant with the EU detergent guideline.
Says Rita Köster, Global Marketing Home Care/I&I: “Sustainable applications have become key factors of success in the personal and home care/I&I markets. If products are to be a success, they must make use of the latest technology, comply with the highest quality standards, and meet the demands of today’s environmentally conscious consumers. This is why Cognis seeks to help manufacturers create products that deliver a holistic experience and supports them in the development of unique green solutions.”
About Cognis
Cognis is a worldwide supplier of innovative specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 7,600 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities to a high level of sustainability and delivers natural source raw materials and ingredients for food, nutrition and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants as well as agriculture and mining. The company holds a 50-percent stake in the joint venture Cognis Oleochemicals, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of oleochemicals.
Cognis is owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2007, Cognis recorded sales of 3.52 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (operating result) of 410 million euros.
Contact
Rita Köster, Global Marketing Home Care/I&I
Cognis GmbH
Phone: +49-2173-4995-206
E-mail: rita.koester@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
Dr. Thomas Schröder, Global Marketing Hair Body Oral
Cognis GmbH
Phone: +49-2173-4995-450
E-mail: thomas.schroeder@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com
Viola Stahl, Communications Manager
Cognis GmbH
Phone: +49-2173-4995-221
E-mail: viola.stahl@cognis.com
Internet: www.cognis.com