Lavender steps up as a natural preservative in skin-care emulsions

Synthetic parabens and formaldehyde releasers are falling out of favor, but keeping creams safe from microbes remains a challenge. The global shift toward "clean-label" cosmetics has left formulators scrambling for milder preservatives. A research paper led by Dr. Maria Trapali (University of West Attica, Greece), now offers a drop-in solution: the simple pairing of Lavandula angustifolia hydrosol with its own essential oil. The study is published in the Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology. Using standard oil-in-water emulsions, the researchers challenged products with high loads of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. After 12 weeks at 25° C and 40° C, emulsions containing 0.05% hydrosol + 0.05% essential oil kept counts below 10 CFU/mL—well inside European Pharmacopeia limits. In contrast, an unpreserved control passed 10⁵ CFU/mL within four weeks.

20/12/2017

this moodboard is a manifestation of my inner state of mind.

i crave change, desperately so. with such a fervor too. But i keep unconsciously going back to what i know best. this scheme, this familiarity. its sickening to me and also; dreadfully boring.

Shapeshifting liquid crystal can form emulsions, then change back

Cornell researchers have developed a two-phase liquid crystal system that can rapidly change—and hold—its shape, transforming from a transparent thin liquid film to an opaque emulsion, and then back again, all with a brief jolt of a high-frequency electric field. The approach could be leveraged to create fast, self-tinting "smart" windows or for making emulsions that control chemical reactions in material synthesis. The research was published in Nature. The lead author is former postdoctoral researcher Sangchul Roh. Researchers have long sought thin liquid films that have optical properties. But those materials are difficult to create and operate, because liquid structures require constant stabilization.

An emulsion ( 2 ) is a specific form of a colloid in which the mixture consists of two immiscible liquids.

Re-inventing the cheese wheel: Researchers work on optimizing plant-based dairy

Chemical engineers at UNSW Sydney have created a plant-based cheese that melts, stretches and browns under the grill like the real thing, paving the way for more realistic dairy and meat alternatives that blend plant proteins with complex carbohydrates. "Colors and flavors are the easy part," says Professor Cordelia Selomulya, who has been working on plant-based food textures at UNSW since 2019. "But replicating the structure—that pull of melted cheese, or the juicy mouthfeel of meat—is the real challenge." While plant-based alternatives have been on the market for many years, some of today's products still fall short as they behave strangely under heat, fail to effectively deliver the nutrition promised on the label—including sufficient protein—and simply lack the sensory properties of dairy-based products.