From solid shampoo bars to instant stain removers. These were part of the BSc Formulation Science honours students’ product showcase presented last week.
The students presented their innovative consumer products for final assessment, offering the viewer an opportunity to interact with the products and ask questions about them.
The theme of this year’s projects centered on the use of marula and moringa seeds and oil, which were used in seven of the 11 products.
The degree in BSc (Honours) Formulation Science was developed to provide the consumer products industries in South Africa with skilled formulators who understand and can apply the theoretical principles of blending various raw materials and active ingredients in different phases to produce stable, homogeneous, and useable consumer products, as well as to develop entrepreneurial skills for the establishment of SMEs.
Formulation Science is concerned with the knowledge and practice of blending and mixing of various components (chemical compounds) in a way that they do not react, but interact to provide a final product with very specific desirable properties or functions.
Below are the honours students and the products that they developed.
Avukonke Jona developed a fish feed for African Catfish formulated using marula seed cake (a waste product from marula oil extraction) as a protein source.
Luzaan Potgieter’s formulation was an instant stain remover pen to remove food-based stains from clothing.
Sivuyisiwe Gora developed an exfoliating soap bar formulated with moringa oil and moringa seed powder (a waste product from moringa oil extraction).
A natural shampoo bar formulated with natural oils including moringa oil was the brainchild of Avril Jaftha. This eliminates the need for environmentally unfriendly plastic containers.
Phila Henge developed a moringa oil hair food formulation.
An exfoliating clay facial mask with marula stone powder was formulated by Abulile Dilima.
Bryce Koeberg did something a little different and formulated a silvering solution for coating plastics to produce a highly reflective surface.
Believia Makhubela developed a body massage cream with moringa oil.
Nomahlubi Stamper’s formulation was an exfoliating foot scrub with crushed marula stone.
Another instant stain remover spray but to remove non-food stains from clothing was developed by Xolisa Hlebo.
Lyle Rockman developed a multipurpose hard surface ant-repellent antibacterial cleaner using coffee extract and essential oils as actives.