Cosmetics Weighing and Analysis in the Laboratory 9 News Accurate Transfer of Problem Liquids R&D and testing laboratories dealing with cosmetics are often faced with problem liquids, which may be difficult or impossible to pipette. These liquids can be viscous, volatile or show high densities. The Pos-D (Positive Displacement Piprtte) from RAININ resolves problems caused by such liquids. Challenges in Liquid Handling When an air-displacement pipette is used with viscous or volatile solutions, the air space between the sample and the piston cannot correctly equalize the pressure. This means that the aspiration strength is reduced, therefore preventing proper pipetting. Pos-D for Viscous or Volatile Liquids The Pos-D is especially suited for liquids with high densities, viscosities or vapor pressures. A disposable piston, moving within a plastic capillary makes direct contact with the liquid. The positive wiping action of the position against the capillary wall assures complete dispensing without droplets and protects samples from instrument contamination. Ergonomic Pipetting with Visible Volume Setting Like all RAININ pipettes, the Pos-D is impressive due to its ergonomic design. The larger, more ergonomically-designed handle of Pos-D feels natural and fits comfortably in the hand and the ergonomic finger hook eliminates the need to grip.
RAININ Pos-D is ideal for viscous samples: no more precision sacrifices, just accurate pipetting. solvents: no more dripping or evaporation issues. PCR and biological protocols: no contamination risks. Pipet-Lite Adjustable Spacer: Adjustable from 19 mm down to 9 mm, to speed up the transferal of viscous liquids from one format to another. BioClean Tips: 100% contamination-free tips with application specific designs Aerosol-resistant filter tips: avoiding cross-contamination. GelWell: for gels and narrow wells. Perfect Performance Services Comprehensive service range including maintenance, calibration, training, quality control and improvement processes. Meeting Demands in Pipetting with Problem Liquids The Pos-D is part of the RAININ Pipetting 360 solution, which provides a series of integrated products and services that improve workflow in the transferal of difficult liquids. } www.mt.com/pos-d } www.mt.com/pipetting360 Publisher Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory Division Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland Production Segment Marketing LAB Switzerland 11794478 40.12 Subject to technical changes. Mettler-Toledo AG 02/09 Printed in Switzerland. 2
Refractometry Birth of Crystal Bright Cosmetics Perfect Control by Refractometer It is a growing and popular trend that cosmetic products such as lip glosses, eye shadows and body creams give a shimmering effect. To achieve this, refractive index control is an important factors. At L ORÉAL Suzhou branch in China, they understand the importance of refractive index control in cosmetics and have successfully achieved this by unitizing a METTLER TOLEDO Refractometer. Lab manager of L'ORÉAL, Ms. Tang Yalian, and the lab. Refractive Index is Crucial Oily raw materials are some of the key ingredients added to cosmetics and refractive index is an important factor in the quality control of these. As different oily materials have different refractive indexes, re-mixing them in right proportions can improve the brightness and transparency of an emulsified substance and, therefore, realize the desired healthy glow effect. Excellent Refractive Index Measurement To better control the quality of oily raw materials and develop new formulas, QC engineers in L ORÉAL need to perform a high quantity of raw materials and semifinished samples tests. Previous lab challenges included a long measuring time, low efficiency with unsatisfactory results and difficult temperature control. Furthermore, during the sample-cleaning process, a large amount of organic detergent was used which imposed adverse health risks to the operators. METTLER TOLEDO s specialist understood these problems and proposed the RE40 Refractometer and SC1 Single Sample Automation. RE40 uses a Total Reflection method to measure refractive index. Samples are not restricted by color. No matter how dark the color is, the samples can be accurately measured with a precision of up to 4 digits. RE40 s built-in Peltire electronic constant temperature control device can precisely control temperatures to 0.1 C so that reliable data and results can be obtained. The SC1 single sample handles samples automatically and, therefore, efficiency is greatly improved. The SC1 also has an automatic cleaning function with very little detergent and cleans the test tube in the sealed pipeline system which is environmental friendly and protects the operator s health. In addition, SC1 has a patented automatic error detection, which can be used to check, prior to testing, if the system is polluted from any residues of previous samples or detergents. All the data and reports can be printed and documented in order to comply to GLP. L'ORÉAL s Suzhou has been using this instrument for more than 10 years. We are particularly satisfied with the ease of use and precise results we get, praise the lab manager, Ms. Tang Yalian and the lab technicians. } www.mt.com/refractometry RE40 Refractometer and SCI Single Sample Automation
DSC A Simple Method for Characterizing Vegetable Oils Advanced technology and increased global interest in natural cosmetics have made vegetable oils ideal as raw materials for the production of a range of modern cosmetic products. DSC is an excellent method used to characterize the different types of oil samples in research, product development and quality control. Green Power There is a wide range of different vegetable oils each with their own individual properties and suitability for cosmetic products. Oils of vegetable origin widely used in applications for skin care, body care and hair care preparations include olive oil, jojoba oil, macadamia nut oil and fractionated coconut oil. Vegetable oils, also known as carrier or base oils (or fats, depending on their consistency) are plant constituents obtained from the seeds or fruit pulp by pressing and/or solvent extraction followed by evaporation of the solvent. Vegetable oils also mainly consist of triglycerides. In natural oils, triglycerides contain many different fatty acids. Natural oil is therefore always a mixture of different triglycerides. Crystallization Behavior of Vegetable Oils The DSC cooling curves shown in Figure 1 were measured using the DSC 1 equipped with an IntraCooler and evaluated using the STAR e software. Figure 1 shows typical DSC cooling curves of different cold-pressed native vegetable oils with several crystallization peaks present. As the oils cool, various components crystallize out at characteristic temperatures. Vegetable oils generally exhibit only one pronounced crystallization peak and one or more smaller peaks. The pronounced peak will usually occur at about -50 C, -35 C or 10 C. Here, it can be clearly seen that the pronounced crystallization peaks do in fact occur at around these temperatures, therefore displaying characteristic crystallization behavior of vegetable oils. Vegetable oils exhibit characteristic crystallization behavior which is strongly influenced by the composition of the The crystallization behavior of an oil or fat is very sensitive to its composition and can easily be measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSC curve obtained from an oil sample is characteristic of the particular oil and serves as a fingerprint. Fig 1. DSC curves of different cold-pressed native oils. (Source: UserCom23) 4
oil. The evaluation curves show that the DSC 1 provides a fast, easy and accurate approach to investigating the crystallization behavior of natural oils used in various cosmetic products. The DSC 1 also has important benefits such as outstanding measurement performance, wide temperature range and accuracy as well as easily catering for small and large sample volumes. DSC is an extremely valuable technique for the quality assurance of vegetable oils in the cosmetic industry. STAR e } www.mt.com/dsc 5
Ex Zone 2 Balances Smell Danger Weighing in Hazardous Areas Large cosmetic manufactures produce up to 1,500 perfume mixtures per day using robotic dosing equipment. Up to 55 of these mixtures per day will be performed manually. Perfume contains alcohol and it is therefore likely that these manufacturers have performed risk analysis according to ATEX137 and designated their work areas as a Zone 2 environment. Manufacturers may therefore decide upon the use of special Ex Zone 2 Equipment for his purposes. Typical Requirements for Perfume Manufacturers For manual mixing, tare containers from 700 g to 2 kg may be used. Balances performing formulations are often placed in production environment and have to be efficient, fast and safe. They are often connected to special PC software carrying out formulation. Despite the large capacity, balances often require a resolution of 1mg. METTLER TOLEDO Ex Zone 2 Balances An ideal balance for the aforementioned requirements is the XS5003SXDR, with its 1 mg resolution and 5 kg absolute capacity. Its easy to clean surface results in less cleaning time which is ideal for large throughput production facilities. More than 80 components can be used for the formulation of mixtures and the integration of the PC balance software ensures the full documentation of each formulation for future reference. METTLER TOLEDO LabX Balance Software not only fulfils those requirements, but also helps to increase productivity and avoid errors. The typical balance user does not need special computer training and can work through a pre-defined procedure by using the guidance on the balance touchscreen. The XS touch screen is ideal for displaying dialog which will help the operator to be guided simply through any work process. All reports generated with LabX balances are stored centrally on the laboratory PC with full traceability showing the time, date and results of any process carried out. The combination of XS5003SXDR Balance and LabX Software is the perfect solution for the customer who needs to combine efficiency, ease of use and full laboratory process documentation control. } www.mt.com/xs 6
Titration METTLER TOLEDO Titration Excellence System For Better Hair Colorants The hair colorant industry is experiencing high growth thanks to new markets, product innovation and peoples desire to look beautiful and young longer. Hair dyes are complex mixtures of potentially dangerous chemicals and, for that reason, need to be analyzed carefully. METTLER TOLEDO titrators offer the unique benefits of improving lab productivity and product quality, thus bringing peace of mind to end users about the safety of hair dyes and the quality of their resulting hair color. Bright Prospects for the Hair Color Industry The hair color industry is booming with global revenues reaching over 8 billion USD and high growth rates. Global market leaders such as L ORÉAL, Clairol or KAO invest heavily into new and better products with longer lasting effects. The chemistry of hair colorants is complex and often involves applying rather aggressive substances such as hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and benzene or phenol based dye substances onto consumers hair and scalps. Quality Matters for Safety and Well-Being During the development process, and subsequently to control production, careful concentration determination of these substances is crucial to minimizing health and safety risks to consumers and ensuring that the hair colorant achieves the desired color result. Titration plays a key role in the analysis of hair colorants as it is used for determining the hydrogen peroxide and ammonia content of hair dyes, both of which are crucial for safety and coloring results. Solution for Increased Productivity and Better Results The METTLER TOLEDO Titration Excellence-RONDO system offers unique advantages for the above mentioned determinations and is used extensively in the laboratories of the hair color market leaders. Thanks to a fully flexible method concept, one or both tests in the sequence can be performed fully automatically on a series of samples. Unique solutions such as beaker lid handling, built-in pumps or multiple titration stands improve the analysis of each different hair colorant sample with the best possible method. Covering up samples before and after titration with the lid handling option, for example, prevents false results due to ammonia evaporation or peroxide decomposition and reduces contamination within the laboratory atmosphere. Automation of all analytical steps allows the testing of multiple samples, thus improves results and ultimately product quality. In conclusion, if a hair colorant product is tested with a METTLER TOLEDO titrator, consumers will be happy with the resulting color and will appreciate the safety benefits of the accurate concentration control of potentially dangerous ingredients. } www.mt.com/titration Cover-up automatically removes the lid of a titration beaker immediately prior to analysis, thus preventing the evaporation of sample components and contamination of the lab with toxic or odorous substances. 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 New Range of Laboratory Conductivity Sensors Easier Handling and More Precision The entire range of laboratory conductivity sensors is replaced by the second generation of InLab conductivity sensors. The robust sensors have a newly developed open tip design. Therefore, sample carryover is reduced to an absolute minimum. Cleaning and rinsing becomes easier. The linearity over the whole measuring range is maximized and the response time is shortened. All kinds of samples can be measured easily, including pure water. } www.mt.com/inlabconductivity LabX Balance Software Version 1.5 New: Inbuilt Job Templates and GWP Support! In this new version of LabX balance software, 25 ready-to-use job templates are integrated. It is even easier to get up and running with applications such as Moisture Content Determination, Filter Weighing, Standard Solutions, Density Determination and many more! Using the full on screen user guidance, on both balance and PC, LabX balance 1.5 also helps you work according to GWP guidelines, making lab work easier and more efficient. } www.mt.com/labx-balance 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 Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory Division Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland Your METTLER TOLEDO contact: www.mt.com For more information