Sustainability has been the hot topic in many industries; and the laundry and dishwashing industries are no exception. As a supplier of bio-based performance ingredients, Genencor has traditionally supported and will continue to support detergent producers by developing ever better enzyme solutions.

The world is now for more than a year under control of the banking and economic crisis and there are still up´s and down´s, encouraging and discouraging news and probably nobody has a real picture what will be the economic situation in a year from now. Still, in the ecologic process to reduce global warming from Kyoto to Copenhagen the pace has been heavily reduced due to the economic crisis, especially it is not clear how the US will reduce their carbon dioxide emissions in the future

UV induced skin damage by reactive oxygen species is a rapid process which can be averted by application of antioxidants at the onset or during the development of ox idat ive s t res s . Ant iox idant supplementation is an integral part of a multi-faceted approach in photoprotection. Lipid based carriers have been more and more explored in pharmaceutical technology, showing superior advantages for topical purposes over conventional colloidal carriers

Skin is an essential element of our projected image to others. The hydration of the skin is essential for its protection, the reinforcement of its barrier properties and its softness. A right water profile at the different skin levels is also important for its surface appearance and complexion. The intrinsic water binding capacity of skin is not only due to the natural moisturizing factor but also to hyaluronic acid and its receptor

There is an increasing number of dermatological procedures, medications and cosmetics that can be used to improve the aspect of skin aging. They can actually provide an improvement in the self esteem and quality of life of the population over 60-years of age. This age group is growing in numbers and these individuals may maintain a good general health and physical activity and fitness

The main role of oxidative stress of degeneration processes featured in skin ageing processes is widely recognised in literature (1-3). The damage caused, initially, is limited to skin cells only and then propagates in underlying tissues triggering a sub-clinical chronic inflammation that contributes to degeneration of skin's three-dimensional structure and to involvement of skin micro-circulation.

The purpose of this article is to give a comparative overview on the cosmetic market regulation in some key Asian countries and consequently it should facilitate the reader to properly understand main critical issues, differences and similarities of the related cosmetic regulations

Colourants in cosmetics cover both, colouring agents and oxidative hair dyes. Risk assessment of these compounds is achieved following the Notes of Guidance of the former SCCP and includes data on physical and chemical properties as well as data on relevant toxicological endpoints which are performed mainly following OECD guidelines.

Nematodes are abundant organisms found in soil or sedimentary habitats. The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a suitable organism for monitoring toxicity and has been used in ecotoxicity tests for soil ecosystems. Current tests using C. elegans use effects on variables such as mortality, reproduction, growth and behaviour as the endpoints for detecting acute toxicity of tested agents

The excellent efficiency of a modern laundry detergent would be unthinkable without high-performance enzymes. They make it possible to reduce detergent dosages and are active at low washing temperatures. Enzymes are produced by biotechnological processes in closed systems. This is referred to as white or industrial biotechnology

Hand hygiene products could fall into several regulatory categories in Europe. Since hand disinfection is a core element of patient safety for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections the professional users’ expectations on quality, safety and efficacy of such products are high.

Cleaning Product Europe 2009, held from September 30 to October 1, 2009 and organized by Intertech Pira. It has been an intense two-day programme involving international players, gathering to give their view on detergence issues, which are many and greatly impact on our daily life and the environment.

The above article contains many contentious points, most of which I would like to address, as I believe that the piece is more likely to propagate the myth, rather than actually answer the question the authors themselves pose. The first point is a very basic one. In my opinion, the title of the paper is too broad and potentially misleading due to the use of the term “antiperspirants”. There are separate issues concerning parabens and aluminium and they should be treated separately.