Moisture, Cosmetics & Packaging
The critical role of vapour permeability

 

Numerous skin diseases are related to skin hydration and the rate at which moisture is lost through the skin*.  Amongst others, these include fine lines and wrinkles, atopic dermatitis and keratinization disorders.

Just as critically, the loss of moisture and outgassing of cosmetics through their packaging alters the cosmetic itself, leading to changes in its aroma, “off-smells,” and decreased shelf life and effectiveness. These changes are the result of vapours escaping of being admitted through the packaging and they need to be minimised.  Unfortunately packaging that is good at retaining moisture is often not ideal for aromas or preventing chemical changes within the cosmetic.   The answer is measuring, testing, and checking – and the solution to this is Versaperm.

Vapour permeability, and in particular the rate at which water vapour permeates through skin, control a cosmetics’ features such as product mildness, reduction in irritative skin reactions, skin hydration, skin repair, protective effect against UV damage and others**.

The most critical single factor is often water vapour. Though ingress and exiting of oxygen and. Particularly, aromatic gasses are also important.  Versaperm’s latest vapour permeability measurement equipment uses mass spectroscopy and other techniques, to measure the individual permeabilities of the complete range of vapours, with just a single measurement.

The equipment is ideal for use in research, development, production and quality control. The system can measure the vapour permeability of materials, including skin samples, tubes, vials, thermoformed pots, bottles, sachets, foils, laminates, films and other barriers.  It can do this against multiple gasses at the same time with an accuracy is typically in the PPM (Parts Per Million) to Parts Per Billion range.

As well as the equipment Versaperm offers both a consultancy and a permeability laboratory service for developers and packers that need to test samples on an irregular basis.

END

*  Called Transepidermal Water Loss or TEWL

**  https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/56341  (Chris, do you think I should bother to include a reference?)

Please send any sales enquiries to
Versaperm Ltd: 10 Rawcliffe House, Howarth Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1AP, UK,
e.mail: info@versaperm.com www.versaperm.com
UK Tel: +44 (01628) 777668
USA Tel +011 (617) 500-8607

For Further Press Information please contact:
Gerry Palmer @ the Palmer & Rose Partnership
Tel 01494 637499 
e.mail gerry@palmer-rose.co.uk