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Stability analyser
Did anyone know these instruments? Are they trusted? (Maybe they are expensive…)
http://www.in-cosmetics.com/__novadocuments/11051
http://www.lum-gmbh.de/LUMiFuge_product-information.htmlAnother:
http://www.formulaction.com/stability-turbiscan-lab.html
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6XAh-5G0ptYCDumlb_iWA -
5 Replies
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Interesting technology.
It looks like one is a centrifuge. These have been around for a long time and I doubt that they are predictive enough since the industry hasn’t switched over to them. If you could predict 6 months of stability with a 20 min spin through the centrifuge, the industry would have quickly switched over to that technology.The other problem is that machines like these don’t predict stability issues like color changes, odor changes, and microbial growth. So, if the only thing it tells you is whether the emulsion will be stable, that doesn’t eliminate the need to do stability tests. -
The LUM machine is a combination centrifuge and real-time particle size analyzer. The combination gives of profile of how an emulsion breaks down during centrifugation, which is much more useful than a centrifuge result alone
But.. the reason it hasn’t been widely adopted (aside from the expense) is that there’s no easy and/or direct correlation between the LUM result and the standard accelerated stability tests. Getting to where you can rely on LUM results alone to predict stability takes an enormous amount of work.It’s worth it if you have formulas that rarely change, but for cosmetics, not so much. I have worked with one, but not for cosmetic formulas. -
Everything that can save time to our work is desirable (either machines or raw materials).
Thanks for your answers. -
As Bob quite correctly points out, this testing is very rarely used as it does not easilly correlate to projected shelf life. It would be a waste of money in almost all Cosmetic settings. The money would be better spent on an Incubator, quantitative measuring equipment (viscosity, pH, Specific Gravity), a Light Chamber and other needed material to follow the PCPC Stability GUIDELINES. Perry did a great webinar on this subject several months ago. There is no mandated stability protocol, but in my experience if you cite the PCPC Guidance, follow them thoroughly and document well, it is generally universally accepted by clients and retailers.
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in my last job we had a major issue with opacifier stability at one point, and we had some analysis done on our formulas by a third-party lab with a TurbiScan machine, which did help predicting suspension/emulsion properties
it is an incredibly sensitive device, and it does give you an advanced warning of instability long before it is visually evident
however, although they could be very useful if you’re constantly working to tight deadlines, my view is that the cost and maintenance requirements would be too excessive to warrant general use
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