Business and Science Meet - The attendants of the Sepawa/EDC Congress in Fulda Oct. 23-25 can look forward to a diversified, well-filled program. During the congress, the cooperation of the major specialist associations, the Sepawa and the GDCh, with the collaboration of the DGK, stands for the latest state of the art in of beauty care and cleaning. With 184 booths, plus ceremonial addresses and high-level scientific lectures, participants can expect the right balance of business, information, scientific discussion and networking.

Hygienic and clean, neat and beautiful, pleasant and glamorous - these attributes will be in focus at the Sepawa/EDC Congress 2012. Scientific fundamentals will be considered as well as sustainability. This will enable attendants to gain a comprehensive survey of the state of the branch. The combination of exhibition and a diversified lecture program offers an inspiring atmosphere.

Foam - A Dazzling Phenomenon

Opinions differ on the issue of foam, the focus topic of the eighth EDC. On the one hand, abundant foam formation is essential for certain products, particularly in the field of care and wellness. On the other hand, it compromises efficiency considerably, e.g., that of automatic cleaning procedures. Dr. Horst-Dieter Speckmann, chairman of the GDCh specialist group "Chemistry of Washing" is looking forward to intensive discussions about the issues, such as how foams can be created, stabilized and then destroyed, if necessary.

"Though the addressed issues are of particular importance, there are crucial details about foams and their properties which have not been understood yet," Speckmann said. "This is why, in many cases, it is impossible to control the foam properties."
He points out that many operating processes are based on empirical values. In his opinion, innovations often fail because engineers are afraid that they would not cope with the foam. The initial lecture "Foam - A Blessing and a Curse" indicates the ambivalence and up-to-dateness of this issue.

Sustainable - More Than Green

The lecture block "Sustainability and Product Safety" is organized by both the Sepawa specialist group LUV (Legislative-Umwelt-Verbraucher - Legislative-Environment-Consumers) and the GDCh. For a long time, the detergents industry solely focused on environmental issues - various renewable raw materials resulted in "green products." Intensive research and development were carried out on their biodegradation and their environmental fate. Meanwhile, both the industry and consumers have recognized that just the ecological point of view is considered too narrowly. Moreover, the life cycle of a product should be looked at in its entirety. Dr. Roland Schroeder, chairman of the Sepawa specialist group LUV, explains: "A green product is not necessarily a sustainable product. In every case, a sustainable product should have an appropriate performance in addition to its ecological compatibility."

If one further takes into account the total supply chain, one arrives at more intricate assessment criteria. To assess the sustainability of a product, the behavior of the consumers must also be taken into consideration, e.g., when dosing and adjusting the temperature.
The latest innovations for detergents, the low temperature detergents and the supercompactates, enable the consumers to make their own decision on this part of the value-chain.

The novel ingredients and additives of the sustainable detergents and cleansing agents, such as enzymes, chelating agents and cosurfactants, will be subjects of many contributions to the "Forum for Innovations." Here, some of these products will be presented for the first time.
Precepts of sustainability for the internal courses of business are often regarded somewhat skeptically, and sometimes it is difficult to convey this idea. One of the surprises of the event will be to detect the connection between these tendencies and the internal dynamics of a team of an expedition. Keynote speaker Arved Fuchs in 1989 was the first to reach both poles by foot within a single year. He will talk about his experience with leadership in extreme situations.

Just Sunshine And Roses?

Applicative sun protection is widely accepted by consumers and is in the bag for holidays and leisure time. The effect of the UV light, however, has not yet been understood by far. In a special section of the event, which is organized by the DGK (Deutsche Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche und angewandte Kosmetik - German Society for Scientific and Applied Cosmetics), these fundamental issues will be addressed. To give an example, sub-erythemal sun exposure will be a topic, as it may have a negative effect on the skin well before any erythema is visible. Will organic components replace the inorganic ZnO and TiO2-particles? The latest results on the undoubted interactions between the immune system and the effect of light will be presented. Finally, the conference will explore whether the sun protection factor, which has been generally accepted so far, will be reliably conclusive on a global basis. The second field of topics of the DGK, "Hair Care from Root to Tip," will also attract wide interest.

All Set for Novel Trends in Cosmetics

The sustainable growth in the field of beauty care, which was 1.4% from 2010 to 2011 according to the IKW (Industrieverband Körperpflege und Waschmittel - Industrial Association for Body Care and Detergents), is also reflected in the presentations of the "Forum for Innovations," the use-oriented part of the event. Forty-four of 90 contributions in total deal with the field of personal care. For natural cosmetics, the IKW even stated a growth rate of 10%.

This tendency is also observed in many contributions, dealing with the latest active agents and additives on a natural basis, such as sea buckthorn and oat. With increasing customer reach for cosmetic products in those 60 and older, anti-aging agents and specialty products for mature skin are further fields of attention. Until today, close experience has played an important role in the purchase of cosmetics, but recently a considerable amount of online sales has emerged. The online trade for perfumes and cosmetics has increased more than any category except clothing. Surely, Christian Baudis, former CEO of Google-Germany and now manager of the German branch of a video-marketing network, will impart important insight to the auditorium with his lecture "Society 2.0 - How the Internet is Changing Us."

"The demand for more and more better and innovative products is a tremendous challenge," underlines Prof. Dr. Klaus-Peter Wittern, first chairman of the Sepawa e.V. "This is why we need highly qualified and motivated personnel, further on. It is, therefore, important for the Sepawa e.V. to promote our junior scientific staff. Thus we can maintain the successful course of our branch."