Presented at the last edition of the Emballage tradeshow (which was held in Paris on November 19-22, 2012) the Pylengo technology developed by Pylote - a start-up headquartered in Toulouse, France - addresses the needs of cosmetic formulators that have to cope with new issues and challenges regarding product preservation. According to Pylote, the Pylengo solution is both "clean and safe".
On the one hand, the microbiological cleanliness is a key element to guarantee product safety but, on the other hand, this requirement must now combine with an increasing demand for natural formulations and the reduction in the number and the concentration of preservatives.
Innovative particles
In order to deal with these two constraints, Pylote focused its core technology: spherical inorganic particles with innovative performances. By embedding some of them in the plastic bottle at the time of manufacture, the company says that product protection can be guaranteed while maintaining full compatibility with the content, that is to say "without any diffusion of substances from one to the other.”
Main advantage of the technique: the protection against reverse contamination. Its efficacy has been tested in usage simulations with different types of micro-organisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis spores). "Areas of contact between the packaging and the user do not triggers any bacterial development," said the company.
The production method of the material - a 100% mineral powder, thermally and chemically very stable - only requires one single step, without any human intervention, thus limiting both contamination risks and energy consumption. "The process is derived from green chemistry and is based on an additive accepted by Ecocert," says Loïc Marchin, co-founder and CEO of the company.
This preservation technology is made of white particles, thus making them easy to hide in conventional packaging. Furthermore, they are de-agglomerated (not linked to each other), which facilitates their use and integration in industrial processes. They are also "free from nanoparticles", which is an important element in consumer confidence.
Industrial process
However, more than producing a simple additive, Pylote has designed Pylengo as a turnkey preservative solution. Relying on a network of authorized partners in the plastics industry, or accrediting the usual suppliers of its customers for using the technologies, the company is committed to both the effectiveness, but also to the absence of supply chain perturbation, whether in terms of required tools, time or quality.
"For plastic converters nothing changes, says Loïc Marchin, they receive a plastic already processed and can work as they are used to.”
To date, the technology has been tested successfully on a dozen different plastics.
