Industry Insights

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

Protecting Shelf Life When Reformulating to Organic

By Guest Author November 4, 2026

By Laurie , RIBUS, Inc When a conventional product moves to organic, some of its … Continued

Sustainable Cleaning Formulations: How to Create Eco Friendly Products Without Compromising Performance

By Carmen Lerga November 4, 2026

Sustainability has become one of the most influential drivers in the cleaning and home care … Continued

Oral Skincare Moves Mainstream

By Staff November 4, 2026

Topical skincare is gaining a companion as beauty-from-within products continue to grow. A narrower analysis … Continued

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS ARCHIVE

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Uniform Wall Thickness for Good Plastic Injection Molded Parts

By Guest Author | October 12, 2012

By Protomold Good injection molded part design relies on consistent wall thickness to minimize the potential for warped or distorted parts. Avoiding Warp | Avoiding Sink | Rib-to-Wall Thickness Ratios Avoiding Warp Sink Marks As the plastic solidifies in the … Continued

Conductive Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs)

By Guest Author | November 25, 2011

By RTP Company In addition to the variety of TPE technologies available from RTP, there are a number of conductive additive technologies to choose from when your application requires conductive properties. Only RTP Company combines its broad TPE technology portfolio … Continued

Should You Profile Injection Velocity on 1st Stage?

By Guest Author | November 24, 2011

By John Bozzelli Because plastic changes viscosity with injection rate, a processor must be in velocity control, not time or pressure limited. That means that you check the pressure at transfer (may or may not be peak pressure) during molding … Continued

A Brief History of Elastomers

By Guest Author | November 20, 2011

By Stephane Morin, Alliance Polymers & Services, LLC Before TPEs (thermoplastic elastomers), there was thermoset rubber. But there was a need for a better type of product – one that could increase part production (lowering cycle times), offer lower weight, … Continued

Getting the Most Out of Your Plastics Data

By Guest Author | July 20, 2011

By Michael Sepe, The Materials Analyst Background Back in 1992, Suzie Witzler of Injection Molding Magazine and Mike Kmetz of IDES (now UL Prospector) had an idea to publish plastics data, processing and performance information in hand-sized reference books that … Continued

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Personal Care & Cosmetics

Oral Skincare Moves Mainstream

By Staff | November 4, 2026

Topical skincare is gaining a companion as beauty-from-within products continue to grow. A narrower analysis values the global beauty-supplement market at $3.96 billion in 2025 and projects $5.76 billion by 2030, a 7.8% compound annual growth rate. Differences among forecasts … Continued

Best Practices for Formulating with Niacinamide

By Staff | October 21, 2026

Why Niacinamide Matters to Formulators Unlike many trend-driven cosmetic actives, niacinamide offers multiple benefits across varied consumer needs while maintaining excellent water solubility and formulation flexibility. As a precursor to NAD+ and NADP+, niacinamide participates in cellular energy metabolism and … Continued

Biotech pushing circular economy and innovation, with a missing link

By Barbara Olioso | October 7, 2026

In my years of reviewing INCI lists and assessing ingredients against certification standards, I have watched biotechnology move quietly from the edge of the formulation to its centre, with the latest buzzword being precision fermentation. It is one of the … Continued

Mascara Troubleshooting Guide: Diagnosing application, wear, stability, and package-interaction failures

By Staff | September 16, 2026

Mascara performance emerges from the combined behavior of waxes, pigments, film formers, emulsifiers, rheology modifiers, process conditions, and the applicator. This guide helps formulators move from a visible symptom to a focused, testable response. A disciplined troubleshooting sequence Define the … Continued

Get More Out of Prospector® AI Search: Helpful Tips

By Staff | September 14, 2026

The new Prospector AI Search experience, part of ULTRUS® software from UL Solutions, is built for formulators and chemists and leverages trusted Prospector data to help you get answers faster and explore new formulations with confidence. How Prospector AI Search … Continued

Plastics

4D Printing – the extra dimension

By Andy Pye | October 28, 2026

For decades, additive manufacturing (AM) has focused on optimising three-dimensional spatial architectures, optimising strength-to-weight ratios within rigid, static constraints. However, the emergence of four-dimensional (4D) printing introduces a paradigm shift: moving from static structural optimization to dynamic, time-dependent, so-called kinetic … Continued

Accelerating E&E Infrastructure Expansion with Extruded Specialty Resins

By Paid Content | October 20, 2026

Specialty Thermoplastics Can Enable New Designs, Deliver Enhanced Performance and Processability, and Address Regulatory Changes Authors: Jim Creeley, Yohana Pérez, Kristopher Rexius, SABIC’s Specialties Business Manufacturers of rigid, extruded profiles for electrical and electronics (E&E) applications face a dual challenge. … Continued

PART 2: AI Data Centers Offer Huge Polymers Promise

By Bob Grace | October 14, 2026

Part 2 of 2 (see Part 1 here) Like them or not, artificial intelligence (AI) data centers have undeniable growth prospects. The construction boom related to the build-out of these often massive facilities is real, and several material suppliers are … Continued

PART 1: AI Data Centers Generating Heat –– Literally & Figuratively

By Bob Grace | September 30, 2026

Artificial intelligence data centers are generating plenty of heated debate. These massive facilities, some spanning more than 1 million square feet, promise jobs and new investment for local communities. At the same time, they require huge amounts of energy and … Continued

EPA considers rule changes encouraging advanced recycling

By Bruce Geiselman | September 9, 2026

Written July 2026 The U.S. EPA is considering changing how plastics recycling plants that use pyrolysis technology are regulated under the Clean Air Act so they would no longer fall under the definition of municipal solid waste combustion units. “Revising … Continued

Paint & Coatings

How Paint is Formulated

By Collaboration | October 28, 2026

A paint batch can look fine in the can and still fail where it matters: on the surface. It must spread without excessive spatter, cover the substrate, dry evenly, develop the intended sheen, and withstand cleaning or weathering in service. … Continued

Is the Dress Blue and Black or White and Gold? CIELab Knows the Answer.

By Wally Kesler | October 14, 2026

In 2015, the internet blew up with a controversy so divisive that people from Taylor Swift to a United States Senator felt they had to weigh in. What question was so important that millions of people were compelled to post … Continued

Epoxy Coatings Beyond Ambient Cure

By Collaboration | September 30, 2026

Epoxy coatings are often associated with the familiar two-component epoxy–amine system, but epoxy functionality supports a much broader set of coating technologies. Depending on resin architecture and cure route, an epoxide may form the primary network, react with a carboxyl-functional … Continued

Hydrophobic Coatings and Pigments: From Water Beading to Durable Protection

By Collaboration | September 9, 2026

Hydrophobic coatings if formulated correctly can provide a plethora of advantages which may include self-cleaning, corrosion resistance, and exterior durability. Most industrial, marine and exterior applications, require a coating to do more than repel water as determined by contact angle. … Continued

Eco-Friendly Coatings, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

By Wally Kesler | August 26, 2026

Eco-friendly might be one of today’s most overused marketing claims. It is often applied to various formulations like personal care products (i.e., shampoos, lotions, and sunscreens), household cleaners, and fabric care products. But what does “eco-friendly” mean? Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary … Continued

Cleaners

Sustainable Cleaning Formulations: How to Create Eco Friendly Products Without Compromising Performance

By Carmen Lerga | November 4, 2026

Sustainability has become one of the most influential drivers in the cleaning and home care industry. Consumers are demanding products with a reduced environmental impact, retailers are tightening sustainability requirements, and governments are increasing scrutiny of environmental claims. Yet one … Continued

Foam or Failure?

By Staff | October 7, 2026

A surfactant that performs well alone can lose stability, detergency, or foam control when combined with builders, solvents, polymers, electrolytes, antimicrobial actives, or real-world dilution of water. A structured compatibility program reveals those interactions before scale-up. Why compatibility testing matters … Continued

Formulating Cleaners with Antibacterial Coatings: Benefits, Challenges, and Commercial Opportunities

By Carmen Lerga | September 2, 2026

As hygiene expectations continue to rise across household, institutional, healthcare, and food processing markets, formulators are increasingly exploring ways to extend protection beyond the cleaning event itself. Antibacterial coating technologies incorporated into cleaners offer a potential solution by depositing a … Continued

Regulatory Update: Europe Remains the Global Regulatory Driver

By Staff | August 19, 2026

For chemists and formulators, regulatory compliance is no longer a downstream activity. Across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Canada, regulators are shifting toward broader chemical class restrictions, increased supply chain transparency, digital product documentation, and sustainability-driven material selection. The practical … Continued

Navigating the Next Wave of Cleaner Regulations: PFAS, Microplastics, and More

By Staff | August 5, 2026

Regulatory requirements are making big moves globally and it’s important that you know what is coming and how it may impact your day-to-day. Below is a check-in for where we are at midway through 2026 and what to plan for … Continued

Food, Beverage & Nutrition

Protecting Shelf Life When Reformulating to Organic

By Guest Author | November 4, 2026

By Laurie , RIBUS, Inc When a conventional product moves to organic, some of its ingredients can’t come with it. Many of those ingredients do functional work by supporting texture, flowability, moisture management, and stability through shelf life, and those … Continued

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

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS ARCHIVE

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