Sarah Perreard, DuPont

Sarah Perreard, DuPont

This product, which was reserved until now to brand-up professionals, is becoming attractive to an increasing number of consumers. Big retail chains of make-up products take contributed to its success by offering with their cosmetics, attractive kits consisting of several brushes. The outcome is a booming market with double digits almanac growth rates. A niche which has attracted the attending of managers of the DuPont [1], group historically specialized in the production of fibres for toothbrushes and leader in the niche of mascara fibres. A "niche" where animal hair, still predominantly used, is probably seeing its days numbered. A "niche" for which DuPont has been marketing since a few months a highly technical and specially performing fibre,Natrafi.

Animal hairs or constructed fibers?

But really? Do women apply and appreciate the use a cosmetic brush? Every survey answers "yeah"! Fifty-fifty if their perception of the production is often far from reality. For 86% of them, the brush must of class become impregnated with pulverization to then perfectly restore it during awarding. For 46% of them beard should be soft and 37% believe the castor should obviously not lose them. 67% call back that brushes are currently made out of synthetic bristles and but 19% think they are made out of beast hair. More interestingly, European consumers say they would not apply a brush if information technology was made out of brute hair! When 95% of powder brushes manufactured in the globe are fabricated, precisely of animal hair!

The end of animal hairs?

"Really, explains Sarah Perreard, DuPont, this market was demanding a new fibre that, to paraphrase a well known advertising would have the experience and performance of animal hair without coming from the animal industry... and who would not smell like it!" An even more tenacious "smell" when brushes are made from caprine animal hair (which is the majority!) or from pony hair. Peculiarly that 87% of consumers believe that this practice is cruel to animals!

In 2003, DuPont teams determine to seriously accost this issue. The challenge is far from existence simple. Information technology consists in developing a fibre featuring all the qualities of goat or pony hair, that is to say which actually becomes well impregnated of powder and perfectly restores it. Non like shooting fish in a barrel when you operate a microscopic assay of goat hair and you empathise why pulverization clings to it so well. Conversely, synthetic fibre is at least very smooth. "That's why the design of Natrafil is so clever," explains Sarah Perreard, "because our engineers have recreated some roughness in this polyester fibre with the addition of various additives and a fibre extraction process which structures and softens the tips. A circuitous and patented procedure." Incidentally, they did non know that by developing Natrafil, they were at the same time going to help future brushes, partly or totally consisting of this fibre, brand a giant bound. "It was a pleasant surprise. Tests conducted amid brand-up artists exceeded our expectations. They all admitted that brushes made from 100% Natrafil impregnated themselves and restored powder much better, applying formulas in a more than uniform mode with increasing precision compared to traditional brushes made from animate being pilus. As for brushes containing different percentages of Natrafil fibres, they enabled adjusting the desired make-up performance according to formula or the use of the brush, exist it to use the exact quantity of required powder, to attenuate, to blend in, etc."

Notation that Natrafil is too very effective for applying liquid brand-up in the case, for example of body painting.

"Cardinal avails of our fibre are: consequent quality complying with specifications, stable supplies not being subject to fluctuations from the animal hair marketplace, and finally a better perception from consumers every bit well as a guaranteed hygiene," underlines Sarah Perreard.

As a result, the DuPont Group, which currently produces the fibre in the United states and ships it to Shenzen in China for its processing, has recently invested in a 2d production line precisely in Mainland china. "It is truthful that 90% of brushes manufactured in the world are manufactured in this region," explains Sarah Perreard, "and they are almost entirely handmade!" Another advantage in favour of the use of a synthetic fibre is to automate product more hands... To be continued.