People are becoming more and more aware of where do cosmetic ingredients, which we apply to the skin, come from. Whey is a liquid residue in the making of cheese. It can be obtained from various milk sources. Certain methods can be used to manage concentrated whey proteins. Proteins, especially from animal sources, have been used in cosmetics industry for a long time. Years ago, potential in whey and whey proteins was also recognized by cosmetics manufacturers and began to be incorporated into cosmetic products, because it was discovered that whey protein condition skin and hair.
In the diploma thesis we studied cosmetic products that contain whey or whey proteins. Our range included 43 products. We have defined products based on their purpose of use, technological form and type. We researched cosmetically active ingredients and preservatives that are common in cosmetic products containing whey protein and whey proteins. When buying a product, a vast majority of factors that encourage us to buy it are packaging, the price and advertising, thus, we also researched this.
Analyzed products with whey and whey protein appear in a lot of different technological forms with a large variety of usage. Most products can be used for facial skin care and hair care. The most common cosmetically active ingredient is sodium hyaluronate, which showed supporting action in combination with whey. This was followed by caffeine, algae extracts, lactic acid, tocopherylacetate, soybean and wheat proteins, vitamin A, C, E and niacinamide. Among the allowed preservatives listed in Annex V of the Cosmetics Regulation, phenoxyethanol was the most common preservative in selected products. However, the 5 examined products did not contain any preservatives listed in Annex V.
Based on the packaging of the cosmetic products containing whey and whey protein, we discovered that the most common form of packaging is a narrow-necked plastic container and wide-necked glass container. We also focused on the price range of cosmetic products and we looked up if whey is advertised. More than a half of all the products belong to a higher price range. Whey and whey protein are getting widely used in cosmetic products and have a lot of potential for a lot of researching in the future.
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