Industry Insights
Explore insights from industry experts across topics like regulatory news, formulation best practices, market innovations and opportunities, and more. Want to contribute? Learn how you can share your expertise.
LATEST INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
The Rise of Biodegradable Plastics: What It Means for Injection Molders
Sustainable materials are reshaping the plastics industry, and biodegradable polymers are becoming more widely used … Continued
High Pigment Volume Concentrates, More Color in Every Drop
Pigment concentrates play a valuable role in coatings formulations for all applications. From Point-of-Sale colorants … Continued
Multifunctional Additives Under Regulatory Pressure
Lubricant and metalworking fluid formulators are entering a period in which additive choice is no … Continued
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS ARCHIVE
By Ottmar Brandau Summary: As material prices skyrocket to new heights and forecasters see no end to this development any participant in the blow mould value chain has to consider cost-cutting measures. Extrusion blow molding offers unique opportunities for material … Continued
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In the competitive landscape of personal care, sunscreen formulation remains one of the most challenging and technically demanding categories. As we move into 2026, the industry is shifting away from seasonal messaging toward “year-round intelligent photoprotection”. Today’s formulators must balance the rigorous physics of … Continued
As personal care formulations become increasingly sophisticated, preservation remains one of the most critical, and frequently scrutinized aspects of product development. Consumers expect products that are safe, stable, and resistant to microbial contamination, while brands seek preservative systems that are … Continued
For decades, the standard playbook for a cosmetic formulator balancing an emulsion’s oil phase relied heavily on a predictable cascading lipid model: mineral oils, petrolatum, and synthetic silicones (like cyclopentasiloxane or dimethicone) blended perfectly to achieve the desired playtime, rub-out, … Continued
In the modern personal care landscape, the “Skin-Intellectual” consumer has moved beyond simply looking for “acne-fighting” labels. They demand sophisticated textures, multifunctional benefits, and clinical transparency. For formulators and chemists, the challenge is no longer just dissolving Salicylic Acid (SA); … Continued
Polyquaterniums continue to be some of the most effective and reliable conditioning polymers in modern hair care and skin care formulation, and their role in delivering sensory performance, deposition and overall consumer satisfaction remains unmatched. Their permanent cationic charge, diverse … Continued
Sustainable materials are reshaping the plastics industry, and biodegradable polymers are becoming more widely used across Europe. For injection molders, this shift brings both opportunity and complexity. As regulatory pressure increases and demand for eco‑friendly products grows, molding companies need … Continued
Polyester is a specific type of synthetic polymer. To be classified as a polyester, a polymer must contain the ester functional group (-COO-) in its main molecular chain. The commonly used engineering thermoplastics PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) and PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) … Continued
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Materials That Shape Everyday Safety Series Plastic names are often treated like answers. A reusable food container says “PP.” A water bottle says “HDPE.” A phone case advertises “PC” or “Lexan.” To most consumers, and … Continued
Plastic compounding involves blending base polymers with additives, fillers, reinforcements or colorants to create materials with targeted mechanical, thermal or aesthetic properties. As industries focus on lightweighting, performance and sustainability, compounded plastics Understanding how compounding influences material performance and availability … Continued
Resin manufacturers today are striving to boost the recycled content in their materials while continuing to meet their customers’ stringent performance demands. Doing so helps those product makers to lower their carbon footprint and improve their environmental profile while converting … Continued
Pigment concentrates play a valuable role in coatings formulations for all applications. From Point-of-Sale colorants that allow thousands of color choices at your neighborhood paint store, to industrial pigment dispersions used to precisely and efficiently match factory-applied coatings. Each pigment … Continued
Most paints and inks contain solid particles, mostly pigments and/or fillers. Two instability problems, flocculation (the spontaneous gluing together of separated particles because of particle-to-particle attraction)1,2 and sedimentation (the sinking of particles because of gravity), can occur with solid particles … Continued
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Materials That Shape Everyday Safety Series Why White Matters Walk into almost any home, office, school, hospital, or apartment building and you will find one of the most engineered materials in modern life. White paint. … Continued
This article builds on earlier coating defect discussions published through UL Prospector Knowledge Center – Overcoming Paint Film Defects: Causes and Remedies and expands further into practical industrial troubleshooting, analytical investigations, and process-related corrective actions observed during real production and … Continued
By David Spielhagen, senior engineering associate, Engineered Materials, UL Solutions Change is no longer the exception in today’s automotive industry. It is now the operating model. Material substitutions, growing use of recyclates, supplier changes, late design updates and evolving sustainability … Continued
As sustainability goals move from marketing claims to procurement requirements, formulators are facing increasing pressure to evaluate the origin, environmental profile, and performance of their surfactant systems. While petrochemical surfactants remain the backbone of many cleaning formulations due to their … Continued
Green and sustainable claims have become a major commercial driver in home care. Products making ESG related claims have outperformed conventional alternatives across multiple categories, and sustainability is now a primary innovation force in laundry and surface care.[i], [ii] Yet … Continued
For the modern chemist, shelf-life testing is no longer just about ensuring a formula doesn’t separate; it’s about ensuring the product meets the rigorous, and often conflicting, expectations of today’s users. As consumers push for “cleaner,” more sustainable, and highly … Continued
Why the next generation of multi-purpose cleaners and disinfectants is reshaping the industry. A new generation of concentrated and waterless cleaners is reshaping the way brands think about performance, sustainability, and consumer trust. With three decades working at the intersection … Continued
Bio-based surfactants – a class of cleaning agents derived from renewable biological resources rather than petrochemicals are surging across the industry. For chemists and formulators, understanding the nuances of these ingredients, emerging trends, and market dynamics is no longer a niche interest but a … Continued
As consumer demand for plant-based foods continues to evolve, food and beverage formulators are no longer focused solely on replacing animal proteins. Today’s formulation challenge is creating products that deliver the nutrition, taste, texture, and sensory experience consumers expect while … Continued
Across the globe regulatory bodies are implementing food-contact standards. Here are the latest updates: Japan Extends Transition Period for Food‑Contact Material Standards Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) revised the implementation rules for recently amended standards governing food contact utensils, containers, … Continued
The “gut health” revolution has moved far beyond the dairy aisle. As consumers seek functional benefits in everyday snacks, bakers and food scientists are increasingly tasked with incorporating probiotics and prebiotics into everything from artisan breads to shelf-stable cookies. However, … Continued
For a food formulator, an emulsifier is often first viewed as a peacemaker—a molecule designed to keep oil and water from separating. However, in modern food science, the “functional” role of emulsifiers has evolved. They are no longer just stabilizers; … Continued
For food and beverage formulators, the role of thickeners and additives has evolved far beyond simple viscosity control. As we move into 2026, the industry is balancing a complex trifecta: achieving high-performance functional attributes, adhering to an aggressive “Clean Label” movement, … Continued