April 2020 • Vol. 26 • Issue 4
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Development of Color Products— From William Perkin to Urban Decay
ussian Red, 999, Ruby Woo, Pioneer, Androgyny, and No. 1. What do these words call to mind? Beauty product enthusiasts around the world recognize these iconic shade names currently inhabiting their purse. (The author tips her hat to the product developers and marketers at Dior, MAC, L’Oréal, Chanel, and Jeffree Star.) At the risk of taking the technology for granted, what went into creating these iconic colors? Accidental experiments, bold defiance, an enterprising mind, good taste, shrewd manufacturing, and hours of color matching in the product development laboratories.
A Short History Lesson: Accidental Chemistry Makes Mauve
In 1856 over Easter vacation, 18-year-old William Perkin set out to isolate quinine from coal tar. Perkin was the student of the great German organic chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann at London’s Royal College of Chemistry. Quinine (Figure 1) is an important compound with antimalarial properties. However, any chemist who knows its chemical structure would not have attempted the approach of Perkin. One should keep in mind that during this period of time the structure of benzene was not even understood. Figure 1: Chemical structures of a) benzene, whose structure was unknown until after the 1860s, and b) quinine, whose anti-malarial properties were of interest to Perkin. Purification attempts of quinine led to his discovery of mauve.
…by Diane Lye
Embarking on what some might have called a fool’s errand, Perkin attempted to chemically isolate the compound. With an artist’s eye, he stumbled upon mauve instead, or “aniline purple”, through a series of serendipitous experiments. Mere luck would not have been enough to produce the entire libraries of color additives manufactured today. Against his professor’s recommendation—proof that we should always make final judgement calls for ourselves rather than obey advice without discernment—Perkin commercialized his discovery. With the financial support of his father, a construction contractor, he developed the processes for the production and use of the new aniline purple dye. In 1857, Perkin opened his factory at Greenford Green near London. From modest beginnings, the synthetic dye industry and its relative, the pharmaceutical industry, was born. Despite falling short of his original goal (R&D scientists and research leaders: Take note!), Perkin discovered the world’s first synthetic dye, opening up an entire chemical industry and painting the mass markets with bedazzling color. Each time we swivel up a beloved tube of lipstick for application, we pay homage to Perkin. Our ability to make style statements with color products was enabled entirely by Perkin’s accidental discovery in 1856, shrewd manufacturing, and business development.
Color Additives for the Consumer-Packaged Goods Industry
Perhaps the most tightly regulated in the cosmetic industry, these ingredients play an important role in making products visually appealing for consumers. With the right product, it empowers the consumer to make artistic statements of her choice through color products, unencumbered. (continued on Page 4)
A P R I L 1 6 : N Y S C C AT H O M E L I V E W E B I N A R S E R I E S L A U N C H E S See page 6 for April agenda and more information.