New BASF Titanium Dioxide Plant Complements Recently Acquired UV Blockers
Both inorganic pigments are active ingredients that block ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunscreens, moisturizers, cosmetics, and other personal care products.
The two inorganic products complement BASF's large Uvinul organic UV absorber business. These are derivatives of benzophenone, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl triazone, methylbenzylidene camphor, octocrylene, and PEG-25 para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA).
According to Christian Dudeck, head of BASF's Fine Chemicals Div., the company plans a "double-digit million DM investment" in its new Uvinul MC 80 titanium dioxide plant in Ludwigshafen. "By 2005 at the latest, we will have increased our market share of UV absorbers to more than 40%," says Dudeck. This will make BASF the market's largest supplier.
Sophisticated Business
UV protection became a growth business in the Eighties with heightened consumer awareness that exposure could lead to skin aging and possibly cancer. UV blocker chemistry also grew more sophisticated to absorb two types of UV radiation: longer-wave UV- A, which contributes to skin aging and cancer; and shorter-wave UV- B, which causes sunburn.
Organic UV absorbers have been a key ingredient in sunscreens for years because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to blend into formulated products. They generally do a good job preventing sunburn, but not as well screening out UV-B. BASF's benzophenone derivatives have broader properties and provide some UV-B protection. The company recently launched Uvinul BMBM, the only organic UV-A absorber approved worldwide.
Organics, however, have other potential problems. PABA, for many years the most widely used sunblock, also causes reactions in some sensitive people. According to sunSmart, benzophenones are also associated with sensitization reactions.
Inorganic pigments work differently and come with a different balance of benefits and tradeoffs. They are physical blockers, and reflect rather than absorb UV radiation. Both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide effectively block UV-B. Zinc oxide provides UV-A protection as well.
Originally, formulators shunned pigments because they were ugly. Zinc oxide, for example, formed the heavy-duty white creams that once commonly graced beach lifeguards. Pigment producers such as sunSmart solved the problem by developing nanometer-scale powders. They are so small, they are invisible in formulations.
That left formulation issues. Nanoscale powders agglomerate easily. sunSmart and other companies resolved the problem by applying a charged coating to the powders so that they repel one another within a formulation. It also enhances miscibility in oil solutions.
Titanium Dioxide
BASF's Uvinul titanium dioxide pigments will average diameters of 100-nm. This makes virtually invisible in sunscreen applications. The company plans to coat them to prevent agglomeration.
According to the company, titanium dioxide poses no health hazards and is rated a Category-1 UV absorber by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
By expanding its product line, BASF will be in a much better position to meet the demands made of modern sunscreens, says BASF Fine Chemicals marketing chief Erwin Rauhe. ""With our organic and inorganic UV-A and UV-B filters, we now offer a complete product line that enables cosmetic manufacturers to formulate a wide array of applications," he explains.
BASF's Fine Chemicals Div. manufactures a broad line of health, nutrition, and cosmetics products. It produces fat-soluble and water- soluble vitamins, carotinoids, other food additives; pharmaceutical auxiliaries; and aroma chemicals. Its cosmetics products range from hair-care products, conditioners, solubilizers and emulsifiers to colorants, UV absorbers, and active ingredients. The division's sales were $1.3 billion in 1998. BASF AG had worldwide sales of $28 billion.
By Alan S. Brown