Sunshine and warm breezes tease the senses, but summer is still a long way away. If your brand is formulating for active lifestyle products, Koster Keunen has the waxes and structurants that will keep your range in the game. Skin protection is a major player in systems for active skin care, and we have the expertise to help you create formulations that successfully carry and deliver your brand’s signature active ingredients.

We’ve Got a Wax For ThatTM

Koster Keunen scientifically customizes wax for your specific applications,
while significantly improving the world in the process.

Keeping in Shape

Stick formulation can be challenging. But getting the structure right while ensuring a pleasant glide and proper payout depends on using the right structurants to form the desired chassis. Ozokerite Wax 175, for example, provides structure to stick formulations, with high compatibility with other raw materials. As trends continue for brands to confirm the safety of skin products, Ozokerite Wax 175 shows to advantage, as it is safe for use in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even food coatings. Consumers can glide on their favorite skin care ingredients with confidence.

Basking in the Sun

Sunscreen is now less a vacation staple than an everyday necessity. The better the sensory experience, the more likely consumers will keep using this important product. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, “15% of Americans don’t use sunscreen because they don’t like the way it feels.”1 One way to improve the feel is to include a wax that has a low melt-point, which yields a lovely, pleasant glide as the product melts on body contact. Kester Wax K-24 brings this property to creams and lotions, adds slip, and decreases the greasy feel that can push consumers away. Among color cosmetics, foundations and sunscreens are becoming increasingly interconnected. As the focus in cosmetic trends is shifting, exciting opportunities are opening up for formulators.

Dedicated to Well-Being

At Koster Keunen, we live our values daily with purpose and are intentional about the steps we take to enhance our people’s well-being at work. When we care about our people, our people take extra care to pass along this caring quality to the solutions that your consumers use to enhance their well-being.

Get out, Get Moving, and Keep Your Cool

This month’s example formulations are devoted to enjoying the seasonal shift to the great outdoors.

Light Sunscreen Lotion

Formula #: 8/23-421/858/402-1

Putting on sunscreen can be a pleasing experience with a light formula. Our Light Sunscreen Lotion offers an oil-in-water formulation that uses natural and synthetic waxes in an emulsion that is highly compatible with mineral and traditional sunscreens. This formulation shows the versatility of Koster Keunen waxes within o/w systems to create a multitude of textures.

Ingredient Trade Name INCI Name %
Phase A
Deionized Water Aqua 53.85
Disodium EDTA Disodium EDTA 0.05
Optiphen Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol 1.0
Glycerin Glycerin 5.0
Keltrol CG-SFT Xanthan Gum 0.3
Phase B
Kostol PGP Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Beheneth-5 3.0
White Beeswax Beeswax 1.0
Synkos 2050 Synthetic Wax 1.0
Kester Wax K-24 Lauryl Laurate 3.0
Hallbrite BHB Butyloctyl Salicylate 5.0
UV Cut ZnO-68-CG Zinc Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyhydroxystearic Acid 26.8

Glide Stick

Formula #: 3/23-451-4

Summer can chap a runner’s hide. Chafing is a nemesis, whether it is skin or clothing, and our Glide Stick offers a sample formulation that eases the road for your chemists. We offer a stable stick that is suitable for twist-ups or hard pots, but still goes on easily. The key to this stick’s utility is that the chassis allows inclusion of actives, making it an ideal base formula from which to imagine the future of your sports range.

Ingredient Trade Name INCI Name %
Phase A
Ozokerite 175 Ozokerite 15.0
Xiameter PMX-200 2.0 cSt Dimethicone 12.9
Light Mineral Oil Mineral Oil 10.9
Olive Squalane Squalane 3.2
Dow ES-5300 Formulation Aid Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone 3.0
Zinc Stearate Zinc Stearate 0.5
Phase B
Deionized Water Aqua 49.5
Optiphen Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol 1.0
Glycerin Glycerin 3.0
Magnesium Sulfate Magnesium Sulfate 1.0

Spice It Up! Unisex Natural Deodorant

Formula #: 8/23-130/414/286-9

When things get hot, no one wants to lose their cool. Our Spice It Up! Unisex Natural Deodorant example formulation presents all-natural, vegan ingredients. The trend for natural and verifiable content is, if anything, growing stronger. But that is no handicap on your formulation score. This deodorant stick’s structure is strong yet offers a pleasant payoff. An anhydrous formula, Spice It Up! travels well, and arrives fresh.

Ingredient Trade Name INCI Name %
Phase A
Ozokerite 175 Ozokerite 15.0
Xiameter PMX-200 2.0 cSt Dimethicone 12.9
Light Mineral Oil Mineral Oil 10.9
Olive Squalane Squalane 3.2
Dow ES-5300 Formulation Aid Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone 3.0
Zinc Stearate Zinc Stearate 0.5
Phase B
Deionized Water Aqua 49.5
Optiphen Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol 1.0
Glycerin Glycerin 3.0
Magnesium Sulfate Magnesium Sulfate 1.0

Whether it’s spring break or summer travels, consumers appreciate the ease and convenience of cosmetics in stick form. And when it comes to sun protection, gummy is out and light, comfortable and effective are in. Whatever actives your brand specializes in, Koster Keunen is here to ensure that your formulators can hit the sweet spot. Please contact us to start a conversation.

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About Koster Keunen

Koster Keunen has been working with wax since 1852 and has used our extensive experience and knowledge base to continuously develop new chemistries. Whether you are developing a new product, or need help with a reformulation or replacement, contact us to learn more about how we source, refine or develop waxes so you can create the perfect formula.