National Starch has multiple capabilities in specialty polymers for markets as diverse as personal care, construction, water treatment, detergents, paper coatings and apparel. Specialty polymers for personal care provide the holding power in hair sprays and gels and add manageability and softness to mousses, conditions, shampoos and other styling aids. They are also used to thicken and emulsify cosmetic and beauty products and increase the functionality of sunscreens, hand and body creams and lotions.
Products from the Specialty Synthetic Polymers division’s Alco Chemical business include dispersants, antiscalants for water treatment and detergent builders, as well as thickeners for the carpet, adhesive and detergent industries. The division’s Elotex business manufactures redispersible powder polymers which improve the adhesion, strength, insulation properties and shrink-resistance of cements, grouts, adhesives and other construction products.
Dissolvable film technology: meeting the needs of busy consumers
Clever formulation science combined with consumer understanding heralds a new approach to personal care, helping to meet the demands of today's busy consumers: dissolvable film technology, developed by National Starch, a business of ICI.
The technology is familiar in the oral care sector as breath strips. Now National is applying it for its customers in novel ways in consumer products that include hair styling, cleansers, shaving, skin care and conditioner applications.
Convenience, portability and targeted delivery are key features of the new technology. In the case of hair gel, for example, strips are dissolved in the hand with a small amount of water and applied quickly and cleanly when needed, without having to carry a bottle and worry about messy spills. In skin treatment, the consumer can apply the film to the specific area of need and dissolve with a bit of water, providing targeted delivery of actives.
In contrast to National Starch’s traditional approach of developing an ingredient that provides a specific benefit within a formulation, the business is offering a ‘turnkey’ service to customers, delivering a personal care product (dissolvable film) which is fully packaged and ready for sale to consumers.
Products from the Specialty Synthetic Polymers division’s Alco Chemical business include dispersants, antiscalants for water treatment and detergent builders, as well as thickeners for the carpet, adhesive and detergent industries. The division’s Elotex business manufactures redispersible powder polymers which improve the adhesion, strength, insulation properties and shrink-resistance of cements, grouts, adhesives and other construction products.
Dissolvable film technology: meeting the needs of busy consumers
Clever formulation science combined with consumer understanding heralds a new approach to personal care, helping to meet the demands of today's busy consumers: dissolvable film technology, developed by National Starch, a business of ICI.
The technology is familiar in the oral care sector as breath strips. Now National is applying it for its customers in novel ways in consumer products that include hair styling, cleansers, shaving, skin care and conditioner applications.
Convenience, portability and targeted delivery are key features of the new technology. In the case of hair gel, for example, strips are dissolved in the hand with a small amount of water and applied quickly and cleanly when needed, without having to carry a bottle and worry about messy spills. In skin treatment, the consumer can apply the film to the specific area of need and dissolve with a bit of water, providing targeted delivery of actives.
In contrast to National Starch’s traditional approach of developing an ingredient that provides a specific benefit within a formulation, the business is offering a ‘turnkey’ service to customers, delivering a personal care product (dissolvable film) which is fully packaged and ready for sale to consumers.
