Climate warming and the alarming rate of consumption of natural resources mean that more and more people decide to change their lifestyle to a more ecological one. Therefore, there is a growing demand for cosmetics produced in a more environmentally friendly manner.

With the global trends aiming at improving our planet's future, almost all the industry sectors are rapidly adopting the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) standards. ESG refers to three main topics: Environment - climate change, use of resources, waste management, pollution; Social conditions – labour and living conditions, enterprise involvement; Governance - compensation levels, enterprise structure, enterprise tax strategies.

Saponlabs is proud to announce our new partnership with two natural cosmetic companies: Natuu and Herbi Clean. The idea behind this move is to build a herbal holding that will be axed on the research and development of the new natural formulations with the help of natural plant extracts. Saponlabs has been active for many years in the field of natural and herbal extracts and became a leader in the area of broad research on the natural surfactants.

The experience gained during the implementation of the project "Development of a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, especially SLS and SLES" co-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund allowed us to introduce a new service to our portfolio – preparing bespoke plant extracts in liquid or solid form.

We are pleased to announce that the National Center for Research and Development has approved the final report on the implementation by SaponLabs of the project "Development of a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, especially SLS and SLES" co-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund.

Saponlabs’ research on natural surfactants for cosmetic industry employs various models to mimic a human skin. Recently we have published a scientific paper comparing the action of synthetic and natural surfactants on two model skin layers. The paper entitled “Effect of synthetic surfactants and soapwort (Saponaria officinalis L.) extract on skin-mimetic model lipid monolayers” was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal “Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Biomembranes”.

In September this year, Saponlabs completed the realization of work within the grant "Development of a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, especially SLS and SLES" as part of the INNOCHEM sector program, financed from Measure 1.2 (Sectoral R&D programs POIR 2014-2020).

Continuous Saponlabs research on natural surfactants target many potential sources of surfactants that can be extracted from plants. There exist a variety of plants that contain such substances in various concentrations. One of the well-known candidates are saponins, of which the name is derived from the Latin word ‘sapo’, meaning soap.

On 17 November in Baden near Zurich took place the annual national congress of the Swiss Association of  Podologists VSP. On the occasion of this event, which gathered over 300 podologists from all over Switzerland, Nilk company from Geneva presented sets of creams prepared by Saponlabs for podiatry specialists.

After 3 years of intensive research on surface activity of saponins, the first peer-reviewed scientific paper with an affiliation of SaponLabs has just been published in Journal of Surfactants of  Detergents (John Wiley & Sons, Inc). Although soapwort (Saponaria officinalis, L.) has been known for centuries as a rich source of biosurfactants, their characterisation was still missing.

The sun's rays reach Earth every day throughout the year. Among the components of the solar radiation the following types of radiation can be identified : infrared, visible and ultraviolet (UVA, UVB, UVC). The first type of radiation (infrared) is responsible for the sensation of heat and is responsible, among others, for the occurrence of sunstroke. Visible radiation allows you to see colors during the day, and after dark lets you see in shades of gray.

Under the grant INNOCHEM POIR.01.02.00-00-0005/16, "Development of a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, especially SLS and SLES" SaponLabs conducts intense scientific cooperation with the Warsaw University of Technology. In the framework of this cooperation, 10 engineering and master's theses have already been implemented. Another 8 are in progress!

We are proud to announce that N'ilk’s professional foot creams from the winter series and for dry and damaged skin, developed by SaponLabs, have been selected to perform treatments and for providing practical courses to students of the College of Podiatry at the University Hospital of the Canton of Geneva (Switzerland).

We are pleased to announce that on 9.10.2017, the public defense of the doctorate thesis of Aleksandra Kezwoń, PhD, took place. Alexandra joined the SaponLabs team for the project INNOCHEM POIR.01.02.00-00-0005 / 16 "Developing a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, especially SLS and SLES ". Dr. Aleksandra Kezwoń is already the third member of the SaponLabs team with a doctoral degree.

We are pleased to inform you that SaponLabs has been nominated for the "Polish Innovation Award 2017" awarded by the Polish Enterprise Congress since 2012. We have been nominated in the category "innovative company" for "the highest quality realization of innovative solutions in the development of a series of natural cosmetics and cooperation with the science sector."

At present, aging processes are the scope of many research programs, focusing in particular on slowing down the progress of catabolic processes, ie decay. Factors responsible for the aging process can be divided into two basic groups: the natural aging process (intrinsic aging) and the influence of external factors (extrinsic / photo-aging). It is worth emphasizing that external factors account for 80% of the changes observed in the first five decades of life.

On 18-21 June 2017, in Sitges, near Barcelona, ​​Spain, a meeting took place with more than 300 scientists from 48 countries exploring colloids and interfacial phenomena. During the 7th International Colloid Conference the SaponLabs team presented the first results of its research in the industrial research phase within the INNOCHEM POIR.01.02.00-00-0005 / 16 research project: "Developing a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, Especially SLS and SLES ".

Staying in line with the growing trend of natural cosmetics, the hair cosmetics line of our partner PhiBio, based in Switzerland, has recently attracted a great deal of interest.  This year, the Hair Care MD Natur line was advertised during several presentations, including an exhibition on the occasion of International Women's Day in Lausanne and a charity concert in Geneva supporting the construction of a modern children's tomography center in Tunis. 

On 19.05.2017, the jubilee congress of podology for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss Society of Podology took place in Lausanne (Switzerland) in the exhibition hall of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).

Dandruff is a symptom of a local inflammatory reaction within the scalp. The negative effects of dandruff are (except for the aesthetic): general hair weakning, hair follicle reduction, and consequently even increased hair loss. Its cause is excessive colonization of the skin by Malassezia yeasts. They are part of normal scalp microflora, but their uncontrolled development causes excessive decomposition of lipids secreted by the sebaceous glands of the skin.

Despite the huge amount of natural and organic cosmetics, which can be found on the cosmetic market, there is no legal definition of natural and organic cosmetics. For customers interested in reliable information about the origin of the raw materials used in the cosmetics they buy, certifications awarded by independent associations and legal entities are of invaluable help.

In connection with the research project POIR.01.02.00-00-0005 / 16
"Development of a series of natural shampoos without the addition of synthetic surfactants, particularly SLS and SLES" under INNOCHEM program, we are seeking candidates for a position of the "R & D Specialist".

You will find the complete offer in Polish below.

Exfoliating scrubs based on natural ingredients are becoming increasingly popular amongst cosmetics users. They combine the power of nature with the effectiveness of carefully selected components, helping to remove dead cells of the epidermis. Natural exfoliating scrubs act as effectively as synthetic ones, exfoliating dead skin cells to make way for the new, resurgent cells, while also smoothing rough or flaky skin.

In November 2016 SaponLabs celebrated its first birthday. In connection with this event we would like to thank all our supporters and customers for this fruitful year and wish them a further successful cooperation with our company. We add to this wishes of excellent health, happiness and prosperity for Christmas and in the new year. At the same time, we are pleased to announce that at the beginning of 2017 we will launch our online store.

Based on the results of research carried out by the GfK Group (Exploring the Territory of Natural & Organic Cosmetics) that has been presented recently at a conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, the most important aspect of the natural and organic cosmetic market concern the lack of the regulatory definition to date. Most of the customers rely on their private standards that are mostly based on their subjective views concerning the "natural cosmetic" definition.

Until recently, one of the most popular cosmetic raw materials, especially among washing cosmetics, was Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) – a sodium salt of lauryl sulfate. This material, however, was characterized by a significant degree of skin irritation, a relatively low aqueous solubility and limited possibilities to thicken the cosmetic formulation. Today, SLS has been mostly replaced by its ethoxylated derivative - Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES).

We are pleased to announce that after the substantive evaluation of projects submitted in the competition 3/1.2/2015/POIR within the sectorial Program INNOCHEM, funded by Measure 1.2 (Sectorial R&D programs POIR 2014-2020), our project entitled "Development of a series of natural shampoos without added synthetic surfactants, especially SLS and SLES" was included in the list of projects recommended for funding. The amount of funding is 1'012'795,50 PLN.

Where to look for INCI?

According to EU Regulation 1223/2009, the list of ingredients should be placed on the outer packaging. In cases where this is not possible (e.g. due to the very small size of the packaging) a list of ingredients is placed on a leaflet, label, tape, etc. included with the product.

The stinging sensation upon touching the fresh plant (unpleasant not only for humans, but also to other animals) is caused by histamine, serotonin, leukotrienes, acetylcholine and formic acid. These powerful self-defense agents are released from thin needles made of silica and calcium carbonate that break easily when touched.

We are currently investigating the foam formation abilities and foam stabilities of different Saponaria species. Saponaria belong to the Caryophyllaceae family and are native to Europe and Asia.

Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) is an organic compound derived from coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine. It is commonly used as a gentle replacement for purely synthetic SLS and SLES surfactants, both highly irritating to the skin.

In October 2015, we began work on a new shampoo for our Swiss partner PhiBio. It has an SLS/SLES-free formulation based on Soapwort extract. Our major goal in this project is the complete elimination of all alkylsulfate products in the shampoo.

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