KOCHI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- Turning waste to wealth,
scientists of the Fisheries Research Institute here have developed a lipstick
using reddish brown spots from squid skin to give different hues instead of the
normally used chemicals.
Squid skin has reddish brown spores called chromatophores which
have been isolated and used as natural pigment in the lipsticks; Press Trust of
India (PTI) quoted a senior scientist, who along with her team has developed
the lipstick, as saying.
"We extracted the chromatophores and tudied its
characteristics which was then used as colourant for the lipstick," said
Dr Femeena Hassan, Senior Scientist, Quality Assurance and Management Division
of Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).
Instead of artificial colours, the colourants extracted from
squid skin can be used for lipsticks. Different shades were developed using
this pigment and they were screened for consumer acceptance applying hedonic
scale method.
The newly formulated lipstick was subjected to physical,
chemical and microbiological quality evaluation, she said.
The product was compared with commercially available lipstick
brands and the new product she claimed was found to have superior properties.
The new product also met with the national quality standards
laid down for such category of products, she said.
Normally, lipsticks contain butylated hydroxyl toluene, Nylon
G, Ferric Oxide, Polyethelene and Titanium dioxide which are used to give
different shades. These chemicals can cause allergy and even cancer, she said.
Stating that there would be no odour, Dr Femeena said food
grades can be used to give flavours to it to make it more acceptable. The squid
lipsticks will have a shelf life of 15 months.
Cost wise, also they would not be heavy on the pocket and would
be 10 per cent less than the products available in the market; she said adding
there were plans to commercially launch the product.
Dr Femeena was awarded the Dr Ravindran Endowment award for her
paper on 'Isolation of squid chromatophores and its commercial application as
natural pigment in lipsticks' at the 22nd Swadeshi Science Congress at
Kasaragod recently. -- NNN-BERNAMA
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