Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Investigation of product and body emissions
Medical diagnostics, cosmetic ingredient analysis, optimized fragrance release, and health
Endogenous factors and exogenous factors
How can diseases be diagnosed early and non-invasively? Which substances are released by the body's metabolism and how can these be specifically influenced? How do ingredients – e.g. fragrances or so-called skin actives – in cosmetic products react when they come into contact with the skin?
By analyzing volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) from biological media such as breath, sweat, urine, saliva, and stool, we can investigate metabolic processes and identify biomarkers for various diseases. In addition to questions relating to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, the analysis of body emissions enables new strategies for the development of cosmetics, for example, to determine the effectiveness of active ingredients based on skin emissions or to demonstrate an effective reduction or masking of body odors.
Volatile emissions as markers for health and well-being
Possible applications of our services in the field of volatile emissions as biomarkers for metabolic processes and cosmetic efficacy.
Healthcare and Medical Industry
Healthcare and diagnostics companies, e.g., early detection, therapy, prevention, rapid tests, technologies, dietary supplements
Early diagnosis of health problems at the onset of disease is crucial to ensure effective treatment and increase the success of treatment. Volatile biomarkers, which serve as indicators of pathophysiological processes, the effectiveness of drugs or exposure to potentially harmful substances, not only enable non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic measures, but also the prediction and prevention of negative health consequences. When developing and establishing diagnostic tests, ensuring sample integrity is of central importance to achieve meaningful results in studies.
We support you, for example, in the following areas:
- Determination of the chemical composition of respiratory gases and emissions from biological media such as sweat, urine, blood, and stool for medical diagnostics
- Characterization of sampling materials with regard to emissions and adsorption to ensure sample authenticity and standardization
- Exposure studies to determine emission rates of products (focus on inhalation exposure and risk assessment, biocompatibility)
- Determination of the release of volatile compounds from ingested products, e.g. pharmacokinetics of food supplements
Personal Care
Skin care (rinse-off, leave-on skin care), hair care, perfume and fragrances, body odors
Our research also focuses on the effectiveness of active ingredients in cosmetics. The release and exposure of humans to volatile compounds play a central role here. By analyzing skin emissions and body odors, we can prove the effectiveness of active ingredients and develop strategies for effectively reducing or masking unwanted odors. At the same time, odors released from cosmetic products can have a positive effect on consumers. Together with us, you can develop a better understanding of the release of odors from your products themselves and when used on humans at the molecular level and optimize your product's effectiveness – complementary to our multisensory services.
Our services in the field of personal care:
- Instrumental-analytical investigation of the reduction or masking of body odors in humans
- Characterization of the release of fragrances and (off) odors in different products and formulations under controlled laboratory conditions
- Realistic and application-oriented investigation of fragrances when the test product is applied to humans
- Identification of volatile markers in processing for quality assurance and process control
Further product perfomance services
Sustainable product development along the entire process chain: Our interdisciplinary team of experts has extensive know-how in a range of areas. Find out more about our cross-institutional services here:
- VOC analysis: Release of emissions & kinetics using real-time monitoring
- Odor optimization of raw materials, materials and products
- Multisensory evaluation of product properties
- Development & optimization of products for personal & home care
- Sensory Analysis and Technologies
- The Product Performance Business Area