Fine Emulsification Technology Using a High-speed Micromixer and its Application to Skin-care Products

Emulsification refers to the process of making a mixture from two liquids that do not mix with each other by dispersing droplets of one of them in another. The process is used in various fields including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and chemicals.
In the field of cosmetics, there is demand for technologies that dispersing fine oil droplets that containing functional components in water to improve product functionality. Generally, obtaining a finely dispersed emulsion requires the use of large amounts of surfactants or energy, which has raised concerns about environmental burden.

By using our own micromixer with a minute flow path narrower than a few hundred micrometers, Kao developed a new emulsification technology that enables us to mix oil that contains functional components with water at high speed, efficiently breaking up oil into fine droplets with only small amounts of surfactants and energy. In a world first, we applied this technology to produce a spray lotion containing a high concentration of submicron particles containing a functional ceramide component^*1 .

Kao will continue to apply this new fine emulsification technology to various fields, and expect to increase product functionality and productivity while reducing the environmental load.