Only when a lot of people buy products based on our inventions can we say we have done a good job. Some of the best examples:
The product: Emgard® FE—a next-generation axle lubricant for heavy-duty trucks
The idea: To develop a commercially sustainable axle fluid that matches or exceeds the performance of existing products
The benefits: Lower costs for truck owners and a reduced environmental footprint, thanks to lower CO2 emissions and less waste oil
The success: The product is bought and used by all major truck manufacturers in the NAFTA region, as well as many major truck fleets and other companies
The product: Plantapon® LGC Sorb—a next-generation alkyl polyglucoside surfactant (APG®)
The idea: To enhance APG® performance, at the same time as implementing a cost-effective and environmentally sound manufacturing process
The benefits: Improved foaming performance, and a more energy-efficient manufacturing process with minimal emissions and waste
The success: The product has been widely accepted by the personal care market and has shown great potential for use in the homecare sector
The product: A customized wax dispersion from the Euperlan® product range
The idea: To work together with one of Cognis’ key customers to create a single pearlizer that combines all the benefits of the various products in the existing range, and that can be used in all different types of applications
The benefits: Consistent pearlizing effect and improved performance at low dosages
The success: One of Cognis’ key customers uses the customized Euperlan® wax dispersion in a number of personal care products sold all over the world, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa
The project: Improving the ether sulfate production process
The idea: To make the process more efficient and improve product quality
The benefits: Reduced waste and wastewater, less energy and resource consumption, and reduced formation of dioxane (an undesirable by-product of ether sulfates)
The success: The improvement measures can be rolled out worldwide, resulting in higher process efficiency and enhanced product quality across all sites
The product: Agnique® Blend—a natural-based adjuvant for agricultural applications
The idea: To develop an adjuvant component based on renewable raw materials for use in pesticide sprays, with performance that compares favorably with other adjuvants
The benefits: Increased fungicidal efficacy in the field, higher emulsion quality, easier handling throughout the supply chain and reduced environmental footprint (the reduced dosage also means less packaging, waste, transportation and energy consumption)
The success: The performance benefits of Agnique® Blend ensured that it was a commercial success right from the start, while fitting with Cognis’ strategy of serving the global sustainability trend
The product: A range of polymeric emulsifiers that enable manufacturers to precisely control the structural, aesthetic and sensory properties of skin care products
The idea: To develop a range of polymers for care formulations that do not have the disadvantages of conventional polymers, i.e. negative sensorial perception (tackiness), are not supplied as powders (as this requires an additional production stage), and deliver additional benefits
The benefits: They enable formulators to achieve light textures and good spreadability, feel fresh and pleasant on the skin and have good tolerability, and allow products to be marketed as “emulsifier-free.” They are also cold-processable, and effective in very low concentrations (meaning they are highly cost-effective)
The success: Cosmedia® SP and Cosmedia® SPL can be incorporated into a wide variety of formulations, including creams, lotions and sprays. They are used particularly in innovative products such as eye contour creams and slimming body care formulations—including mass-market and premium products. Thanks to its short development process and low costs, the product very quickly became a commercial success
The product: Dermican®—a synthetic tetrapeptide with a unique anti-aging action that targets the metabolism of lumican (a specific type of proteoglycan), to enhance skin firmness
The idea: To optimize the functionality of collagen fibers using a unique action that ensures the collagen fibrils are proper anchored
The benefits: It closely recreates the physiology of younger skin, making users both look and feel more youthful. It boosts the synthesis of lumican and collagen I, and makes the skin firmer and plumper after four months of use
The success: Dermican® effectively meets the current cosmeceutical trend for ever-more efficient actives that are clinically proven to work
The project: A new split copper solvent extraction circuit, used to process solutions obtained by the agitation leaching of copper ores
The idea: To develop a significantly more effective way of recovering copper from oxide ores
The benefits: Improved copper recovery, reduced acid consumption and neutralization costs, reduced environmental risks, lower copper and cobalt prices for consumers around the world
The success: There is strong demand for the new copper recovery circuit. It is used in many plants in major copper and cobalt-producing countries, reaffirming Cognis Mining Technology’s status as a global leader in copper solvent extraction
The product: Dehypon® rinse aid additives for multifunctional automatic dishwashing detergents
The idea: To develop innovative rinse aids in granule form that do not dissolve, and so do not disappear during the cleaning stage—meaning they can deliver their full effect in the final rinse stage of the cycle
The benefits: Easy incorporation for detergent manufacturers into their products, shine and sparkle for dishes, ready biodegradability and very low aquatic toxicity
The success: The benefits of Dehypon® are greatly appreciated by consumers, and several major manufacturers use the product in their automatic dishwashing detergents