Cosmetics Weighing and Analysis in the Laboratory 8 News Don t Split Hairs Choose the Right Balance Beautiful hair and healthy skin are the main concerns of RAUSCH, the traditional herbal cosmetics producer from Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. After many years of weighing herbal extracts with METTLER TOLEDO s precision balances, their natural choice when further upgrading their equipment was, again, METTLER TOLEDO. Tradition Meets Modern Science In 1890 the German master hairdresser J.W. Rausch founded the RAUSCH Company. Since then, RAUSCH has been delicately processing fresh herbs from Switzerland and dried herbs from around the world. An important part of RAUSCH s philosophy emphasizes the exclusive use of top quality natural raw and active ingredients. The synergy of this tradition and the most modern scientific know-how is evident in their laboratory. Dr. M. Uebersax is responsible for Quality Control and employs differential weighing for the determination and subsequent examination of dry residue in herbal extracts. The fat phase in herbal extracts or emulsions is weighed before the isolation process (vacuum distillation or solvent extraction) and after isolation and drying procedures. The difference corresponds to the percentage of dry residue in herbal extracts produced by RAUSCH and all results are automatically calculated by LabX software. Select the Right Balance RAUSCH needed to replace their existing PE3006DR balance and intended to purchase the XP4002SDR. However, upon consulting GWP guidelines, it became apparent that the minimum weight for that XP balance was 160 mg and the actual required minimum weight was
Precision Balances Publisher Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory & Weighing Technologies Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland Production Segment Marketing LAB Switzerland Technical articles Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory & Weighing Technologies Analytical Instruments 11794390 40.12 Subject to technical changes. Mettler-Toledo AG 08/07 Printed in Switzerland. 30 mg. The optimal balance, according to GWP, should be a 3-place balance such as the XP2003SDR with its minimum weight of 24 mg. By selecting the correct weighing system, RAUSCH not only met all necessary requirements but minimized weighing uncertainty and eliminated errors. METTLER TOLEDO offers the LabX Light Software as a balance accompaniment in order to enforce optimal process practice via clear user guidance directly from the balance terminal in order to avoid any errors. The LabX Light was recognized as the perfect tool to ensure user-friendly, balance operator guidance. Staffs are clearly guided step-by-step through defined differential weighing procedures with automatically generated documentation. Data traceability is easy and all batch IDs can be quickly identified either in the LabX Light database or in the Excel spreadsheets which can be automatically generated in parallel. The Software is user friendly and the special LabX Light training Pac ensures user competence in all integrated facets of the LabX Light software. The customer employed GWP and chose the optimal balance for the application described. Apart from significantly improving each operation s speed and cleanliness, the balance, accompanied by LabX Light software, also fulfils other important cosmetic industry requirements, including method documentation and data traceability. } www.mt.com/xp-precision } www.mt.com/labx } www.mt.com/gwp Good Weighing Practice (GWP ) is a guideline that offers improved control over your entire measuring process. Weighing recommendations can be specifically tailored to quality requirements, risk and industry regulations. Employees will immediately profit from the greatly simplified testing procedures which are designed to save time and costs. Secure and traceable quality documentation is also automatically available for auditors. Weigh without risk with GWP : comply easily with regulations and realize consistent high product quality. 2
ph Electrodes Find the Right ph Electrode With Electrode ValueBox ph value measurement is a vital task within the cosmetic industry. A further challenge is to find the appropriate ph electrode for the specific needs of the various applications. METTLER TOLEDO has improved its web-based ph Electrode Selector Guide, assisting the cosmetic industry in selecting the most appropriate electrode for every application. ph Measurement Challenges ph value measurement is of the upmost importance within the cosmetic industry. The samples which need analyzing from this industry represent one of the greatest challenges for ph measurement. The consistency alone is frequently enough to considerably increase measurement difficulty. For example, highly viscous samples, such as creams and gels, are usually based on oily or fatty basic substances. In addition, products such as hair dyes contain coloring components, partly as micro fine pigments, which can accumulate in the diaphragm of electrodes. Therefore, finding the appropriate electrode for accurate measurements and results becomes an important and challenging task. The Right Choice Made Easy The web-based interactive Sensor Product Guide (now available in eight languages) has been developed to help customers optimize their ph measurement. The guide is simple to use: Just click on the desired segment, for instance cosmetic or viscous samples or paints, dyes & emulsions, and get an overview of the electrodes that cover the majority of appropriate applications for this industry. Secondly, choose a sample that best describes the specific application. Finally, select the most suitable electrode from the electrode list plus additional information concerning technical data sheets for each electrode. In order to replace an electrode with an improved one from the METTLER TOLEDO portfolio, simply use the Cross Reference Guide to find the appropriate, improved measurement replacement for your specific requirements. Thanks to the elaborated METTLER TOLEDO electrode portfolio and the Sensor Product Guide, finding the right electrode is no longer a challenge! Find out more at: } www.electrodes.net The selection wheel allows you to choose your field of interest. Details about each product group will guide you to the appropriate application. 3
Good Weighing Practice Weighing without Risk METTLER TOLEDO s Good Weighing Practice TM Dr. Klaus Fritsch, Manager Compliance We asked Dr. Klaus Fritsch, Manager Compliance at METTLER TOLEDO, to give us a better insight into this program. The cosmetic industry s legal requirements are now enforced more strictly than ever. Consumer protection, in particular, comes with a very high public awareness. However, requirements, such as GxP or ISO, do not offer detailed solutions for daily measuring processes. To bridge this gap, METTLER TOLEDO has developed globally applicable guidelines called Good Weighing Practice (GWP ). It is a risk-based program which puts the demands of all current quality systems for weighing processes into practice. only those tests which are necessary to satisfy our customers high quality requirements are recommended. Klaus, can you please explain to our readers how Good Weighing Practice works? With GWP, we offer the customer an easy implementation of specific weighing process requirements. Risks are minimized, quality is ensured and money is saved. Furthermore, GWP helps companies to pass audits simply and safely. It is based on a defined set of activities that begins with an evaluation of individual risks, recommend appropriate actions and lead to safe routine operation. The selection of the appropriate measuring instruments in order to satisfy the requirements of the respective application also play an important role. Intelligent safety functions integrated into the balance, e.g. FACT, further reduce user tests. Depending on the amount of tests appropriate for a given risk, this may help to save time and costs substantially. What are the production process risks which can be eliminated from weighing systems? 5. Routine operation Safe operation, accurate measurements, minimized costs and risks through proper routine testing. You state that user risk can be minimized through applying GWP whilst simultaniously reducing effort and cost. Can you be more specific? GWP analyses the risks of the weighing process and recommends routine tests where the risk is high. For low-risk processes smaller test efforts are required. Therefore, Very frequently, the smallest components of a mixture have the highest influence on the quality of a product. For example, the recipe for a nourishing lotion requires 700 g water (+/- 7g) but only 2 g scent (+/- 0.02 g). The question of the right balance starts exactly here. The instrument must also achieve the necessary accuracy for the smallest component. Many of our balances are equipped 4. Calibration Determination of the measurement uncertainty ensures that the balance weighs within the required tolerances. 4
1. Evaluation Control your weighing process based on an objective risk assessment and take action where the impact is high. 2. Selection Determines the correct weighing system to improve certainty and eliminate errors. Dr. Klaus Fritsch is Manager Compliance and a well known authority on regulations such as GMP and GLP. He is responsible for monitoring the legal requirements of our customers, advising our product managers on how to improve our products and solutions and last, but not least, training the sales force on regulations and passing this detailed knowledge onto R&D and Marketing personnel. He has traveled extensively in order to share his knowledge through customer seminars and conferences. In his limited spare time he likes climbing the heights of the Swiss Alps and heading off on ski tours. 3. Installation Weigh correctly right from the start, with documented installation, reduced environmental influence and user training. with a warning function (MinWeigh), which indicates to the user via the display if the minimum weight is not reached. With GWP, METTLER TOLEDO offers more than accurate measurement technology to our customers. The achieved know-how and the right instrument handling guarantee constant quality at a high level. Thank you Klaus, for this valuable information. For futher questions, contact Dr. Klaus Fritsch at: } klaus.fritsch@mt.com } www.mt.com/gwp
One Click Water Determination Simple & Secure One Click Water Determination Many cosmetics properties, such as consistency, appearance or ingredient activity, depend on the water content. Secure and reliable determination is crucial to obtain the constant high quality of raw materials and end products. Water Determination Made Easy The standard method for the determination of water content in a wide variety of samples is Karl Fischer Titration. This application is specific for water as the titrant solution reacts with the water molecules in a stoichiometric reaction. The volume of titrant added until all the water is gone is used to calculate a sample s water content. The new Karl Fischer titrator from METTLER TOLEDO performs all these steps with one key stroke. Simply place the sample into the vessel and press one button to start the titration. After a few seconds, the current amount of water found is shown on the large color screen. A few short moments later and the end result is displayed on the screen ready to be printed out and/or saved in the database of the connected PC software LabX titration. Visco-Spoon Solves Sticky Problem Cosmetics industry raw materials or products are often viscous or sticky and delivering them to the titration vessel can prove difficult. Visco-Spoon is the perfect sampling device since it acts as a common spatula and a plug to close the titration vessel. The sample is therefore transferred to the vessel together with Visco-Spoon and the sample s water content is completely extracted with the solvent. A smart accessory for practical use! Innovative solutions combined with simple operation make the new Karl Fischer titrator line from METTLER TOLEDO an indispensable instrument for water determination. } www.mt.com/karl-fischer } www.mt.com/titration 6
DSC Reduced Storage Stability Testing Time Fulfilled by DSC The storage stability of cosmetic products is a key aspect for research and development, quality control and consumer satisfaction within the cosmetics industry. Due to the wide range of product forms and end use properties, the testing process can prove long and tedious. DSC offers a fast and yet reliable approach. STAR e Oxidation Stability of Oils and Fats by DSC The purpose of performing storage stability tests is to ensure that new or modified products meet the intended physical, chemical and microbiological quality standards whilst retaining their full functionality and aesthetic character when stored under appropriate conditions. Accelerated aging is a method widely used to predict storage stability and can be achieved by simulating and accelerating the natural aging process. The method enables the stability of various formulations to be quickly investigated and compared. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a fast and simple approach used to measure the changes that occur in raw materials and formulations at elevated temperatures. The example described illustrates how the DSC 1 was used to investigate the oxidation stability of a fat and an oil used in various commercial cosmetic formulations. The onset of exothermic oxidation is called the oxidation onset temperature (OOT) and is used to characterize oxidation stability within a short time period. Samples of cocoa butter and palm oleic were heated from 50 to 300 C at a heating rate of 10 K/min in an air atmosphere. The DSC results were evaluated using the STAR e software and show that the OOT of cocoa butter was marginally lower (222.35 C) than that of palm oleic (232.18 C). The DSC 1 delivers fast and accurate results over a wide temperature range and can assist in reducing the time required for storage stability testing and formulation development. In addition, the DSC 1 can be used to screen raw materials and formulations, which could lead to a faster introduction of the product into the market. } www.mt.com/dsc OOT of Cocoa butter and Palm oleic by DSC. (Source: Collected Applications - Cosmetics) 7
New Products and Technologies From METTLER TOLEDO METTLER TOLEDO delivers powerful solutions that simplify work in laboratories around the world. Combining our state-of-the-art technologies with our applicative competence, we have a strong value proposition to make: accurate results and productivity second to none. Weighing Solutions and Analytical Instruments Manual Multi-Channel Pipetting Increase productivity with the new Pipet-Lite Adjustable Spacer the world s only manual multi-channel pipette with adjustable spacing. Ideal for routine work in genomic, proteomic, tissue culture and cell culture applications, this pipette can easily alter the format spacing from 24-well to 96-well. Just a twist is all that s required to change spacing! www.mt.com/pipetlite-spacer The First Class Choice For Valuable Samples Keeping sample weights as small as possible means tremendous cost savings when handling precious, degradable or toxic substances. The new XP6U/XP2U Ultra Micro Balance and XP6 Micro Balance are designed to boost efficiency and reliability as well as support network compatibility. www.mt.com/micro One Click Water Determination Simple & Secure Water determination in the cosmetics industry is made simple and secure with the new line of Karl Fischer titrators offering unique Touch Screen operation with user specific Short Cut buttons. Every user can start his or her routine tasks using One Click. The Solvent Manager is controlled by the titrator and exchanges the solvent and reagents without exposing the user to chemicals. The LabX titration laboratory PC software offers absolute data reliability, comprehensive documentation and ease of tracking. www.mt.com/karl-fischer Best Usability for Optimizing Pipette Calibration Process Thanks to Calibry v. 4.0 The new Calibry 4.0 software offers ease-of-use and the fast calibration of single- and multi-channel pipettes. A brand new user interface optimizes software use in all steps of the pipette calibration process. Calibration reports can be easily customized according to specific requirements. Automatic capture of environmental parameters ensures reliability. www.mt.com/pipcal Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory & Weighing Technologies Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland Mettler-Toledo AG Analytical Instruments Sonnenbergstrasse 74 CH-8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland Your METTLER TOLEDO contact: www.mt.com For more information