Project idea
The project is a continuation of a long-standing collaboration between Delia Cosmetics and the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Łódź. As part of the current project, the project team addressed the issue of spontaneous crystallisation on lipsticks manufactured by Delia Cosmetics. The company was forced to withdraw a series of its product from sale. As a result, it suffered some financial losses. A student at the Faculty of Chemistry, Jan Chodorski, who was also an employee of Delia Cosmetics, decided to tackle the problem.
Course of the project
The project was carried out in several stages: selection of defective lipsticks with 'efflorescence' on the surface, characterisation of these 'efflorescences' in the laboratory at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Łódź, and an attempt to induce undesirable crystallisation by so-called temperature shock therapy.
In the laboratory at the Faculty of Chemistry of the UŁ, microscopic analyses of the pomades were carried out first. In the microscope image under polarised light, reflections characteristic of a crystalline body were noticed. It was possible to select a crystal from the lipstick surface. The experiment of exposing the crystal to X-rays was then carried out. The diffraction image indicates that the sample is a crystalline substance. However, it was not possible to characterise its crystal structure. In addition, DSC studies of the melting point of lipsticks were carried out.
A lipstick mass of identical composition to the lipsticks that showed undesirable crystallisation was prepared in the Delia laboratory. This mass was subjected to so-called shock tests, i.e. cooling down and warming up. It was observed that, on the second day after heating to 105°C, changes indicative of crystallisation appeared in this mass.
About the project
The project is being implemented as part of Science Hub of the University of Lodz - a university-wide collaboration platform that aims to support the UŁ academic community in implementing implementation of scientific projects in cooperation with the environment.
Project title: Undesirable crystallisation in lipsticks
Supervisor: dr hab. Magdalena Małecka, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Łódź
Student: Jan Chodorski (Chemistry of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals with elements of business)
Partner: Delia Cosmetics
Project description: The crystallisation process in cosmetic products is not a desirable phenomenon. Sometimes this phenomenon occurs despite a positive stability test of cosmetic products. This results in the necessity to withdraw the cosmetic product from sale, which consequently means a loss for the manufacturer.The aim of this project is the broad characterisation of crystalline substances that have appeared in lipsticks sold by Delia Cosmetics.
Material: Project Team
Edit: Science Hub UŁ