When developing the merchandise, it is very important to evaluate the qualities of products accurately and objectively because it is indispensable for the formulation of a new product and choice of ingredients.
In addition to stability and safety, sensuous valuations, such as usability and agreeableness, are also included in the qualities to be estimated. An outline of estimation technology of usability and agreeableness by machinery and tools for hair care products, such as shampoo, hair rinse, hair treatment etc., will be given here.

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We synthesized 6 amphoteric surfactants of 2 families derived from N-dodecyl-N, N-dimethyl amine, N-dodecyl-N, N-diethanol amine and N-dodecyl-N, N-dipropanol amine, so called [F-1] N-dodecyl-N, N-dimethyl betain (abrv. C12B), N-dodecyl-N, N-diethanol betain (C12-DEB) and N-dodecyl-N, N-dipropanol betain (C12-DPB), and [F-2] N-dodecyl-N, N-dimethyl amine oxide (C12AO), N-dodecyl-N, N-diethanol amine oxide (C12-DEAO) and N-dodecyl-N, N-dipropanol amine oxide (C12-DPAO).
The surface activities and protein denaturing potency of C12-DEB, C12-DPB, C12-DEAD and C12-DPAO which have not well known, were measured on various concentrations in comparison with well known amphoterics C12B and C12AO.
The suface activities of C12-DEB and C12-DEAO showed almost the same level as C12B and C12AO, while C12-DPB and C12-DPAO showed a little poor than C12B and C12AO.
As to alubumin protein denaturing potencies of the surfacatants, C12-DEB, C12-DPB, C12-DEAO and C12-DPAO showed very lower level than C12B and C12AO which are popular amphoterics.
Among them we conclude that Ci2-DEB and C12-DEAO are useful for lower irritaive surfactants, which used for body shampoo and kitchen detergent.

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The formation of split ends is one of the most important problems especially for women to present a good appearance. For the primary split ends care, the mechanical recovery of damaged hair fibers is of special importance since hair does not self-recover. In this work, the effects of cosmetic treatments on the generation of split ends have been investigated by auto-brushing machine as an accelerative method which is closer to the actual hair care process. These results strongly suggested that the important factor of the split ends formation was due to the structural changes of amorphous matrix proteins of hair fibers. We found that a diethylene glycol monoethylether (Ethyl Carbitol; EC) treatment was the most effective of all treatments we tested in inhibiting the split ends generation of permed hair, and EC treated permed hair behaved almost identically with untreated normal hair as far as the percentage of split ends generation was concerned.

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With the purpose of clarifying the role of internal factors in the process of dry skin occurs, dry skin was induced experimentally by an ionic surfactant and, using the model system, we investiglated from a pharmacological perspective as a new experimental plan. Through this research, we have conceived a new theory explaining how dry skin occurs. Furthermore, on the beais of this theory, we have developed a new effective compound for its treatment.
In order to study on the mechanism by which dry skin occurs, we used anti-inflammatory agents and inhibitors against histological impairment mediators, as well as various substances that were considered to regulate the function of epidermal cells. The results strongly suggested that the occurence of dry skin involves a cause bringing about the over-manifestation of the epidermal plasminogen (PLG) activation system, which in turn causes abnormalities in the regulating mechanisms for the proliferation and differentiation of epidermal cells, and these result in dry skin.
We discovered 4-aminomethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid (t-AMCHA), which was the most effective substance in view of the theory on the occurrence of dry skin. Then we investigated in detail the efficacy of t-AMCHA. The results of our studies confirmed that t-AMCHA strongly suppresses the over-manifestatation of the PLG activation system in the epidermis when dry skin was occurring. In addition, t-AMCHA demonstrated superb effectiveness against phenomena caused by dry skin, including the loss of moisture from the horny layer, the increase in transepidermal water loss (TEWL), accelerated turnover in the horny layer, and the changes in various other indicators such as epidermal hypertrophy.
We also performed a double-blind trial on a preparation containing t-AMCHA. Results demonstrated that the preparation containing t-AMCHA definitely made better and faster improvement than the preparation without t-AMCHA in skin surface texture. Furthermore, the t-AMCHA containing preparation showed superior stability and safety and had excellent usability.
We demonstrated for the first time that the intraepidermal PLG activation system plays a major role in the process by which dry skin occurs, and founded a new theory on the occurrence of dry skin. In addition, on the basis of this theory, we discovered the effective substance t-AMCHA and conducted research on its practical application. As a result, we have not only verified the theory but also developed a revolutionary new effective substance for cosmetics.

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Although various complex powders have been studied and developed as raw materials for cosmetics in recent years, lately we have gone in a natural direction and turned our attention to starches, which are natural raw materials, and have undertaken the development of new functional complex powders.
The carrier (porous starch) of these compex powders is partially digested by amylase, an amylolytic enzyme on raw corn starch-granules (mean diameter 10μm), and has numerous, small, 1-4μm mutually independent pores on its surface. Using a wet process, we were able to selectively embed solid micrograins whithin the pores of porous starch. In addition, we treated by simlar methods liquid functional substances such as glycerin, vitamin A palmitate, and octyl methoxycinnamate, and evaluated the characteristics of the complex powders obtained. Compared to nonporous starch, porous starch-glycerin complex powders exhibited a two-fold retention capacity in a moisture retention capacity evaluation test using collagen sheets. In addition, in a vitamin A palmitate release test (based on IPA: Water=75: 25v/v), it was evident that the release rate of porous starch-complex powders was more controllable than nonporous starches. Furthermore, complexes of UV absorbents (benzophenone-6 or octyl methoxycinnamate) exhibited the same efficacy as when using nonporous starches. Because some or most of the UV absorbents are embedded in the pores, these porous starch-UV absorbent complex powders could ease the burden of the skin.

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Organic colorants used for coloring of cosmetics must have vivid tones and a rich variety of hues. However, some organic colorants suffer discoloration and deterioration due to light and heat.
The authors tried to develop organic colorant-doped silica gels to improve stability and optical properties of organic colorants. We prepared the organic colorant-doped silica gel by a sol-gel reaction at low temperature (room temperature to 80°C) from homogeneous starting solution, which consisted of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), ethanol, water, and carminic acid in the presence of catalytic acid.
We evaluated the optical properties, elution resistance, and heat resistance of the products, and the doped carminic acid in the resultant silica gel were proved to be more stable than noncomplexed carminic acid or Carmine (commercial lakes).
These results confirmed that doping of organic colorants into the three-dimensional network structure formed by silica gel is a promising technique to expand functionality and improve stability of organic colorants, and it may open a promenade to the creation of new color additives.

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