OREANDA-NEWS. June 06, 2012.  BASF has introduced a new thin plastic film packaging for the Luviskol ® range of high-molecular-weight powders in order to set new quality standards in keeping the powders more stable and protecting them even better against contact with oxygen and oxide penetration.

 
Reliability and top product quality

The Luviskol powders are polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymers, which are key components in hair care products to give, for example styling gels and mousses their tightening properties. To keep the powders stable, it is key to minimize oxide penetration with a superior level of protection. The new thin packaging film is made of the same ethylene vinyl alcohol plastics (EVOH) that are used to package food. It keeps the oxygen in the air from penetrating through to the PVP powders. Because of EVOH’s first-rate sealing properties, the effect lasts for several years.

The packaging also has excellent chemical resistance and very good tensile strength, and is impermeable to gases and fluids. The multi-layer and heat-sealed plastic film is more environmentally friendly because it is completely aluminum-free. “Our customers can benefit from a long shelf life, a consistent high level of quality and even more stable Luviskol powders”, says Heike Kusche, Global Product Management PVP cosmetics.

PVP – an all-round talent with tradition

PVP has been a successful product for many years. Around 70 years ago, the chemist Walter Reppe, who worked in a laboratory at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, used acetylene and pyrrolidone to produce a new monomer called vinylpyrrolidone, which was then transformed into PVP. It soon became clear that Walter had discovered a great all-round product: PVP is water-soluble but can also absorb large quantities of water; it does not irritate the skin or pose a health hazard; and it is temperature-resistant, pH-stable, nonionic and colorless. This wide range of properties makes PVP suitable for countless applications. It is used in a variety of BASF product lines including Kollidon® (as a pharmaceutical excipient), Luvitec® (to produce special membranes and special adhesives), Sokalan® HP (as a detergent additive) and Divergan® (in the filtration of beer and the treatment of wine).