This book is based on an international symposium on "Polymers for Cosmetics and Personal Care" held at the 244th National ACS Meeting in Philadelphia on August 22, 2012. The aim of this book is to cover the many facets of polymers used in cosmetics and personal care products and to bring together researchers from industries and academic disciplines from different countries. To our knowledge, this is the first compilation of progress made in the use of polymers in
cosmetics and personal industry.
This book comprises a collection of papers presented in the symposium as well as several review chapters. Topics in this book have been divided into three sections as follows: Part 1 contains reviews focused on polymers described in this book, polymers used in colored cosmetic products, and organo functional silicones; Part 2 is dedicated to new synthetic methods and strategies; and Part 3 is focused on novel applications of synthetic polymers.
In the synthetic portion of the book (Part 2), there are seven chapters.
Some chapters discuss specific approaches to controlling molecular architecture and other chapters prepare novel polymeric structures. For example, polymer structures can be controlled using free radical methods in order to prepare unique aqueous rheology modifiers or to create copolymers with unique properties. Additionally, novel materials prepared by combining poly(alphaolefins) with diphenylamine and polymers, novel cationic latex materials, and polymers with unique personal care attributes
that are also biodegradable are discussed as well. There are chapters on structure-property relationship as well as on non-penetrating
polymerized surfactants.
The third part of the book consists of seven chapters, too. It highlights novel applications of materials that may not be typically associated with personal care products. Such polymers include acetylene-based polymers, alkylacrylate cross-polymers, styrene/acrylate copolymers, and silicones. There are also some chapters that discuss other interesting applications of materials by utilizing the enhanced performance they impart to personal care (e.g., ion permeable microcapsules and a polymer
adsorption model).
This book will be a good resource for those involved in the field of personal care and cosmetics who want to learn of recent developments. Additionally, this book will benefit the reader that would like to become acquainted with the variety of polymeric systems that can be used in personal care products and cosmetics.