The process of creating a new cosmetic line is quite complex, involving a lot of research and requiring different specialists. In the case of the new Chronos – a line of daily facial care products from Natura – one of the major differentiators of the project was the use of active ingredients from Brazilian biodiversity. It was necessary to adapt raw materials that had never been used before and incorporate them into a product. In this scenario, each researcher played a fundamental role in making the result possible.
We are revealing the various stages of this story here on the Natura Campus blog, and now it's time to talk about the role of the formulation team in this project. Natura researcher Soraya Moura explains in general terms what the focus of the area is: “We study the Brazilian market and other markets around the world to understand the sensory profile expected by consumers and what is most suitable for each type and application of product. The skin on the face will require a product with a different composition than that for the skin on the body, for example. With the sensory profile defined, the formulation area will find ways to create a product that has the expected activity, but also the right texture, spreadability, color, shine, fragrance, and final finish for the end consumer.”
In the case of Chronos, the need to use new active ingredients from biodiversity, such as Jatobá and Casearia, raised the level of challenge for the formulation team. “There is a complexity in the proposal to work with a raw material that has never been used in cosmetics and to make it not only functional but also stable and pleasant for the consumer,” explains Joana Miranda, formulation manager for the facial category. It was necessary to bring biodiversity in a way that also pleased people's sensory preferences, and this became a great incentive for the team. “The Ingredients and Cosmetic Technologies areas had already proven that those actives had results in skin treatment; they worked well in isolation, it was up to us to make their use enjoyable for the consumer. We wanted these actives to be there as the heroes of the story, signing the lines, and we succeeded,” Joana celebrates.
Challenges in the formulation process
Another member of the formulation team, Fabiana Paes, shares how the Jatobá extract – which helps ensure firmer skin in Chronos 45+ – proved to be particularly challenging for the team due to its appearance. “Jatobá brought us some difficulty because it added a lot of viscosity, which directly interfered with the texture, spreadability, and stability of the formula. We had to work in partnership with the seed supplier to treat this raw material, and we managed to include it in the product with a texture suitable for what we were looking for,” she says.
Having overcome the problem with the viscosity of Jatobá, there was still the challenge of ensuring protection against photoaging without compromising the product's texture. “The Chronos line offers SPF 30 and a UVA protection factor of 10, which are not very common in facial products, as they tend to provide a heavier sensory experience and a denser texture. We needed many tests and research to achieve the desired protection in a lighter sensory profile, comparable to facial products that contain SPF 15,” recalls Fabiana.
The entire work of the formulation team culminated in the launch of the new Chronos. “Chronos is an iconic brand, the first in the world to guide its portfolio by age, we are a reference in this market. Therefore, this was a very rich project, involving all the technologies that Natura already had and driving the creation of new ones, a legacy of all the researchers involved in the project,” Joana emphasizes.
“It was a project that took three years to execute, involving a diverse team of researchers, with a lot of science behind everything. We made several combinations to arrive at the most suitable equation of ingredients and formula for each biological cycle, and this is only possible with a lot of dialogue with other areas, such as Ingredients, Technologies, and all the other researchers,” concludes Soraya Moura.
Learn more about the development of the new Chronos
Computational biology and 3D tissue testing enhance anti-aging treatment
Jatobá extract: the transformation of a seed from the cerrado into an anti-aging active ingredient.
Casearia: the medicinal plant that became an anti-aging active ingredient
