Chemicals used in face-wash can be harmful

Improving ones appearance will apparently be the morning routine, however usage of cosmetic products rite from face wash to make-up can really be harmful to our skin? Most of the chemicals that are being used to prepare cosmetic products contain thousands synthetic chemicals which are being used by the cosmetic industries and most of it do gets absorbed into our body and harm our skin. Most of the dermatologists recommend mild and non-irritating facial cleanser as it is does not contain fragrances which are one of the most harmful ingredients that are mostly found in all face-wash and cleansers.

A number of chemicals are found on the back side of the cosmetic and personal care product are mostly litter with the chemical ingredients which unable to pronounce and are heard for the first time. Several cosmetic producers manufacture their product on the bases that the product works and are willing to give up on having a pure product in exchange for a product which is at lesser rates and cheaper to make.

The cosmetic industry while making personal skin care product include harmful ingredients such as Fragrance, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Salicylic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Laureth-3, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, EDTA, Cetyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA and many more harmful chemicals are being used by most of the industries as they are cheap and is one of the most easiest alternatives to reach their desired result.

SLS (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate)

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is also known as Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) which is noted as one of the harsh chemical that is mostly used to create foam mostly being used in engine degreaser, garage floors cleaners, detergents and car wash soap and is also use killing insects and weeds. However, in most of the face wash this type of chemical is used to create foam in your face wash. According to few research analysts, this chemical form in the containers of one’s face wash might cause potentially dioxins and carcinogenic nitrates by reacting with frequently used ingredients found in several products. By using face wash having SLS, a large amount of nitrates might enter the blood stream by allowing the chemical to absorb into your body and can even cause skin irritation or blotchy.

Fragrances

Skin is one of the largest organs of our body and when we use deviant skincare product, preservatives and fragrance it gets immersed through your skin and then into our body. This chemical which is laboratory created aroma is a combination of elements and chemicals and is also one of the cheapest ways to scent their product. This chemical used in the face wash is unnatural and can be hormone disruptors, even it can root reactions for people with asthma and allergies.

Preservatives

Preservatives are one of the most important chemical that is often found in all the face wash to help to prevent the growth of bacteria. Most of the preservatives found in the face wash contain few forms of Formaldehyde or Paraben which might be dangerous to your skin and health. Most of the common preservatives that are used in face wash are Diazolidinyl Urea, Bronopol, Phenoxyethanol (PE), DMDM Hydantion, as well as parabens.

However, most of the facial cleaners and face wash having natural ingredients are known to diminish the pollution, sun tan and also free radical damage.

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Petrochemical demand of Japan is expected to rise in 2014

In the annual meeting of Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference which was held on 15th and 16th May, 2014 in Pattaya, Thailand had released the report to all the participants. On 15th May, 2014 Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (JPCA) said that in the year 2014 the growth of petrochemical demand of Japan is projected to slowly but surely rise in the country, on account of the depreciation of the Japanese yen and enduring steady growth of the US and the Chinese economies.

Moreover, in the petrochemical industry of Japan quiet a number of turnaround will be taking place this year mainly in the Northeast Asia (NEA) and due to these turnarounds, firm olefin demand and reduced output will facilitate Naphtha crackers to uphold lofty operating rates and at the same time price of olefin will settle at a comfortable level.

Furthermore in the global petrochemical market, Japanese petrochemical industry have been forced to strengthen its competitiveness due to increasing reliance on shale gas in North America and constructing new large scale petrochemical facilities in the Middle East and China. For this reason, the Japanese petrochemical industry especially in Asia needs to put into practice rationalisation as much as possible under the given conditions plus to seek growth markets.

According to Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (JPCA), few major Japanese petrochemical industries have listed some of the future plans which have decided to shutdown Naphtha crackers and also the industry should be restructured and involve optimization of domestic crackers. In the next two years, Japanese major Petrochemical manufactures Sumitomo Chemical, Mitsubishi Chemical and Asahi Kasei are likely to shut its Naphtha cracker plant permanently.

Japanese major Petrochemical manufactures Sumitomo and Asahi Kasei are likely to shut its cracker plant permanently in next two years. One of the major Japanese chemical producers Sumitomo Chemical has schedule to permanently shut its cracker plant in the month of May 2015. The plant is located in Chiba near Tokyo and has a production capacity of 415,000 tons/year. Furthermore, another major petrochemical producer Asahi Kasei has also planned to close down its cracker plant in the month of April 2016 having production capacity of 504,000 tons/year.

On the other hand, subsequent to the Japanese companies decision to cancel plans for a proposed Linear Alpha Olefins (LAO) unit at the US Gulf Coast, a joint venture with Japanese firms Mitsui & Co. Ltd and Idemitsu Kosan had terminated a long term ethylene off-take agreement by US based Dow Chemical. In spite of this termination of the agreement, the strategic growth investment of Dow Chemical in the region upholds to progress with several high-return, alternative uses for the ethylene which was included in the cancelled arrangement currently under evaluation.

According to separate releases from Dow Chemical and Mitsui on 18th March, 2013, Japanese manufacturers Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui first announced their proposed 50-50 joint venture as well as the ethylene off-take agreement with Dow Chemical in the month of March 2013. During this time the petrochemical major Mitsui had said that the LAO project was driven by the US shale production revolution, which the Japanese firms believed would secure access to cost-advantaged Ethylene feedstocks.

According to the industry experts, the joint venture had entered the front-end engineering and design phase for the project and in the year 2014 they expected a final investment decision, whereas for the proposed 330,000 mt/year LAO unit no precise location along the US Gulf Coast had been selected. However, if the cancelled project had been approved by now then the construction and start-up of the new unit was targeted for the year 2016.

According to the government data that was shown on 19th May, 2014, the Japanese Naphtha import in the month of April, 2014 for the petrochemical sector was down by 7% in compare to the same month of 2013. As per the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, last month in April, the Naphtha imports for Ethylene production was totaled to 0.99 million tonnes which was noted down by 1.07 million in compare to the same month of 2013.

Besides this the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (JPCA) had suggested that the petrochemical industry of Japan should more focus on value added products through an affiliation with downstream industries like health care, electronics, automotive, as well as to promote ecological friendly technologies.

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E-cigarettes- a safe alternative to cigarettes?

Smoking is not so easy to quit, but the advent of e-cigarettes has apparently helped many kick the butt. E-cigarette is said to give a smoker an experience similar to cigarettes but without the toxic chemicals.

Researchers, however, do not vouch for the safety of this new innovation as it has no FDA regulations.

We have very little information about the chemicals inhaled by e-cigarette users. However, this is becoming a new fad, especially among adolescents.

Also, there is no evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit this harmful habit. The lack of FDA regulations have resulted in the use of nearly 19 chemicals, some of which are carcinogens.

E-cigarettes are said to comprise of nicotine and a high concentration of propylene glycol. This chemical is not supposed to be inhaled. Propylene glycol is what provides the smoke, but lack of information about the effect of this chemical on lungs when inhaled in a high concentration is a major hindrance.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has identified propylene glycol as an inhalant risk.

The general opinion about e-cigarettes are that they are a safe alternative to cigarettes, but we really don't know.

We don't have answers to questions like who produces e-cigarettes, the chemicals used in them and if these devices are safe to use.

Recently, Chicago implemented a ban on e-cigarettes, which is believed to be a good start.

A frightening trend is the growing number of middle school and high school students who have tried e-cigarettes. Health risks apart, this device is considered as an inroad to nicotine addiction.

Experts have placed more faith in methods such as oral medication and nicotine replacement.

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Global chemical price update video

Global chemical price aims to make the latest Indian chemical price updates, market analysis, latest petrochemical news and on-going chemical industry trends available for traders, manufacturers and end-users.

GCP is a one stop B2B chemical portal, which provides regular chemical price updates, latest petrochemical plants and projects news, capacity expansions, plant shutdown news, in-depth weekly market reports analysis with import details, domestic demand - supply scenario & international prices. It also provides immediate access to latest chemical company price updates which are meant for subscribers to understand the change in prices by major chemical companies into manufacturing of such chemicals. Everything you need to know about the Indian chemical market. With product-specific news and analysis make informed short-term purchasing decisions and long-term investing plans.

From the global economy, to price fluctuations, policy developments, chemical market highlights, upcoming projects latest technology and environment- GCP Blogs covers it all extremely important to petrochemical professionals.

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Research suggests relation between chemicals in our body and income

Researchers have stated that the chemicals in our body is not only affecting our health but also our social status.

The research was headed by Dr Jessica Tyrrel from the University of Exeter Medical School's European Centre for Environment & Human Health, in Cornwall.

This study aimed at examining linka between the buildup of chemicals in human body and their socio-economic status.

People from all economic backgrounds absorb chemicals, but what us important is that the type of chemical is dependent on economic status.

The conventional thinking has suggested that people belonging to lower socio-economic status have more toxic elements in their body.

As social standing improves, changes in lifestyle modify the types of toxicants in the human body, instead of reducing the overall amount.

This change in thought has altered the way experts treat chemical build ups. Thus, they have come to the conclusion that  they should move to dealing with groups based on lifestyle and not earnings.

The study has compared results from 6 separate populations, showing strong links between 18 different chemicals and poverty ratings.

People with higher incomes had greater amounts of toxicants like arsenic caesium, urinary mercury and thallium. The study suggests that diet plays a key role in chemical accumulation.

Consuming fish and shellfish can lead to build up of mercury, arsenic and thallium.

Sunscreen use is said to lead to accumulation of benzophenone-3, as people with higher incomes are more likely to use products with chemicals.

People belonging to lower socio-economic groups are more likely to have build-ups of cadmium, antimony, urninary lead and bisphenol A. Smoking combined with a poor diet are responsible for build-up of toxicants like cadmium.

Prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals can lead to health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
This study has helped examine the relation between an individual's socio-economic status and chemicals. It will equip strategies formulated to improve human health.

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Indian chemical industries face challenges on global regulatory landscape

Global Chemical industries are currently faced with more and more complex regulatory environment including the REACH directive of EU, however, the chemical industries is amid the most highly regulated industries in the world and for good reason. In one of the recent conference that was held in Mumbai by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had highlighted few challenges that are mostly faced by the Indian chemical Industries when it comes to sever the international markets owing to several regulations and standards that need to be act in accordance with.

Many chemicals that are released by the industry factory are toxic to human body and have an adverse impact on the environment if they do not release the chemical without any treatment. These released chemical deceit a peril which needs to be managed through appropriate strategies that will minimise exposure and risk. However, the problem is complex and in this region the solutions need to be customized to factor in the maturity and the development of the industry.

Well developed parts of the world such as Western Europe, Japan, United States, Korea and many such countries have substantial chemical industries which have enforced tight laws governing both the kinds of chemicals which can be formed and used as well as the operations of chemical plants. REACH which has been enacted by the European Union (EU) as the most comprehensive and complex legislation is also an unprecedented in its scope and intricacy. It also governs substances manufactured or imported into the EU used surplus of more than 1 tonne annually in the region.

To emphasis on safety of the product, nowadays a trend towards product safety rather than process safety has been adopted by most of the chemical industries. In the instantaneous years in India, a lot of attention of regulators shifted rightly to process safety, to ensure safe operations of plants after the Bhopal gas tragedy that took place in the year 1984. Most of the chemical industries in the developed world have bemoaned on the regulations and laws that are imperious and sternly compromise their ability to compete, whereas, after evaluating the associated costs against the business gains projected, few major Indian chemical industries have reluctantly taken on the burden of registration in exporting to the developed world.

Aside of laws that preside over discharge of wastes into the air, water or land, Indian market are so far begin focused by the chemical industries that have had little or no local regulations to deal with, moreover, to authorize their use on the grounds of safety there are so far no over arching regulations that restrict the use chemicals in specific applications or mechanisms.

Furthermore, as per the researched analyst India is noted as one of the few countries in the world that has a substantial chemical industry, however, in commerce it is yet to have a national inventory of chemicals. Consequently, it is still fragmented in the global chemical regulatory landscape as well as inclusive harmonization is yet a delusion for the global chemical industry and is expected to prolong for a while.

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PDH and MTO projects may increase investments in propylene production

Propylene can be used to produce a wide range of chemicals, including acrylic acid, phenol, acetone, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, glycol and oxo-alcohols. Propylene is produced in large quantities due to its broad industrial use.

Majority of the propylene produced in India, nearly 95 per cent, is converted into PP. India does have production units for phenol, acetone, oxo-alcohols and propylene oxide. However, these production units are small scale plants. In spite of increasing demand and imports of these chemicals, local manufacturers are hesitant or unable to carry out expansion activities because of lack of access to feedstock and financial support.

Greenfield projects in propylene derivatives have not been implemented due to lack of sufficient propylene (propylene not already being used for PP production) and irregular techno-economics.

The plants in countries of ASEAN and North East Asia that produce phenol and acrylic esters help meet majority of the Indian demand.

Investing in a plant in India doesn't seem beneficial. The lack of infrastructural facilities also deter investors.

The Middle East is also looking at expanding their petrochemical base by investing in downstream chemicals in order to manufacture value-added products. These investments are often in the form of collaborations between local firms that have access to feedstock and international companies equipped with the needed technologies.  

In India, the issue of feedstock propylene is being addressed. Much of the propylene available at naphtha crackers and refiners is used to produce polypropylene.

There are several countries that have been facing shortage of propylene. Many nations are currently engaged in cracking lighter feedstock, which will reduce reliance on propylene. Investing in on-purpose propylene production is being considered by nations like China. In 2012, China used only two-third of the propylene produced, while the rest was utilized for production of chemicals.

Two on-purpose propylene production technologies namely propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and methanol to propylene (MTP), are being used to help refiners increase output.

The MTP technology uses coal for producing methanol through the gasification route. The methanol is then converted into propylene. MTP and methanol to olefins (MTO) provide a way to overcome challenges posed by availability of petroleum-based feedstocks and use coal, which is a more easily available resource.

Majority of the propylene produced by these on-purpose propylene plants will be used for PP production due to the ever increasing demand for polymer in China. These plants will also enable use of propylene at alternate sites for production of chemicals.

China is expected to witness a rise in MTP projects, majority of which are being set up in less industrialised northern and western parts of the nation.

PDH has had a slow start. There are a large number of projects being planned which could provide nearly 10 mtpa of propylene. This could lead to closure of certain old plants.

A MTO plant may not come up in India, unless the methanol is produced through gasification of cheap petroleum coke. IOC may set up such a project, but this could take years.

A PDH project is being planned at the Mangalore SEZ Ltd. The project would have to import LPG for cracking into propylene and butylenes. This project currently needs investors.

Thus, propylene availability will have to be increased by means of on-purpose technologies. Until then we will have to rely on imports.

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Rise in U.S. competition halts Sinopec petrochemical build-up

In visage of rising U.S. competition in the segment and getting higher local opposition to oil and gas plants over environmental concerns, Chinese major refiner Sinopec Corp is mounting back billions of dollars in petrochemical investments. In response to the sluggish economy and the poor performance of its chemical division the largest refiner of Asia and the major Chinese petrochemical manufacture Sinopec Corp. have downsize, followed by an earlier diminution in its 2014 spending budget.

In the second largest economy of the world the delay marks a rupture from two decades of growth led by the state energy majors of China which has been sited autonomy above profitability and environmental collision to look for robust demand growth. Moreover, similar steps have been taken by the rival state refiner PetroChina which is also the biggest oil and gas producers of China, freezing a USD 13 billion joint venture between Shell based in East China and another one in Guangdong with state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA.

In the latest mark of an extensive decelerate after a lethal pipeline blast last year threw into question whether the city is environmentally feasible for the petrochemical complex, Sinopec Corp. has held up its plans to build a USD 3.1 billion Ethylene plant located in Qingdao in East China. The explosion which had taken place last year in the month of November in the busy coastal city of Qingdao had killed nearly 62 citizens and was exposed to the danger of rambling urban development that often conflicts with industrial planning by overwhelming oil and gas infrastructure.

According to the industry experts, currently the project has been put on hold and the company is waiting for the final word from the government. Furthermore the setback on the project comes amid concern about the demand growth in the petrochemical sector of China as well as new competition from U.S. shale gas crackers which can produce ethylene at less than half the cost of the naphtha-fed crackers typical in Asia. As per the researched analyst, in the United States over the next 5 to 10 years more gas based plants are expected to start up which will include few built by Asian firms like Formosa Petrochemical Corp.

As per the industry sources, nearly 4 million tonnes of annual capacity of ethylene, key building blocks for plastics and synthetic fibres have been shelved or postponed by Sinopec and moreover potentially boosting petrochemical imports of China from companies such as SABIC which is based in Saudi and U.S. firm Dow Chemical Co.

In its first major investment in coal-based chemicals last year in the month of November, Sinopec Engineering Group which has been a newly listed unit of the Sinopec Group had agreed to build a USD 3.1 billion plant in northern China to produce olefins from methanol extracted from coal. The company also looks forward at other feedstock as well as current supply deal between Sinopec and U.S. firm Phillips 66 had recommended that from Naphtha which is a refinery oil product, the refiner is diversifying to lighter and abundant natural gas liquids to produce petrochemicals.

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Chemical industry will be formed by three top trends in 2014

During the year 2014, for the international chemical industry the energy efficiency and functional materials could become the major growth and beyond. Nevertheless in the long run the trends such as bio-based chemicals, gas processing auxiliaries or agrochemicals are expected to become the key growth drivers. In most of the parts of the world these may not prove to be the fastest growing sectors, however, in India these sectors represents with a significant growth potential.

According to deem of market experts, across the value chain materials and chemicals that support and promote clean and sustainable technologies and energy efficiency are on the top of the agenda of stakeholders. Moreover, in order to trim down their respective carbon emissions and achieve energy efficiency goals, the governments around the world have started focusing more on energy efficient buildings as it is among the biggest energy consumers. The importance of energy efficiency in buildings cannot be overemphasised in particular to the major economies such as building account for a major consumption of energy which is next to transportation.

As being witnessed in the emerging economies like India and China, this trend is anticipated to prolong in the context of escalating urbanisation. The need for sustainable insulation systems and materials will be driven by the growth of net-zero energy and green buildings. As per the foresee by research analyst, amid the major driving forces behind the augmentation of materials for energy efficient buildings will be the substantial growth in emerging markets, building renovations in Europe and the evolving standards in the US.

Urbanisation in an emerging economies and coupled with the growing middle class, also the infrastructure build-up taking place with an increasing number of smart cities enabling efficiency solutions, the business of construction chemicals is seeing robust demand again. The construction of chemicals remains at the top of the agenda for emerging as well as developed markets, even amidst the current mixed global economic landscape. However functional materials and smart packaging solutions are also in high demand.

Conventionally the construction sectors have been quite conservative, even though segregation is a difficult task for the construction chemicals sector, as the products are mostly commodities. Furthermore, in order to understand the needs of the customers and develop customer focused solutions for specific applications, major producers are closely associating with customers and are trying to reach a higher level of segregation.

Changing in the consumer lifestyle is another factor which accompanies the urbanisation Mega Trend. This Mega Trend will draw more attention towards new packaging technologies and products like flexible packaging mainly in food and beverage applications, which is the largest end segment application. The major trend in the in the packaging industry will continue to increase focus on sustainability which supports the adoption of materials from renewable sources.

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