A Wayne County water remediation company is taking its super-absorbent, sponge-like swelling glass into new arenas: personal-care, pet-care and home-care applications.
Wooster-based ABSMaterials Inc. says its Osorb products could appear in cosmetics and other areas as early as 2015, said spokesman Dr. Paul Edmiston, a College of Wooster chemistry professor.
The absorbent nano-engineered glass is being used in product tests on humans, but Edmiston said he is unable to provide any more details because of confidentiality agreements.
ABSMaterials is simply providing the material to the unnamed partner, he said.
“We’ll have to see where it goes,” he said of the use of Osorb.
Osorb can absorb oil, sebum (a waxy material produced by human glands to keep the skin and hair moist) and odors from hair and skin, while remaining dry to the touch, and that would permit widespread use in cosmetics, Edmiston said.
A fragrance can also be added to Osorb. It can absorb odors and time-release perfume over a long period while absorbing oils, sebum and unwanted odors, he said.
When finely ground, Osorb is both dry and pleasantly smooth to the touch.
In addition, cosmetic-grade Osorb is highly controllable, the company said.
ABSMaterials can make Osorb match almost any color desired for beauty or home application, it said.
“We think the opportunities are big,” Edmiston said. “We’re really excited by the possibilities.”
Osorb has also been given an International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients name by the Personal Care Products Council, a trade group that oversees the personal-care-product industry. It passed the PCPC review. Its name is “dimethicone/phenyl silsesquioxane/phenyl bis-silsesquioxane crosspolymer.”
“This is a big deal for our firm,” said company spokeswoman Kellie Lynch.
That action opens the door for Osorb to be used in thousands of potential products, Edmiston said.
ABSMaterials had been largely developing Osorb as a remedy to clean up environmental problems. It can remove pollutants including oil and be re-used. It has been used to clean up storm water and oil-gas pollution. It was developed by Edmiston and assistants in 2005 at the college.
Edmiston’s discovery led to the formation of two companies: privately held ABSMaterials Inc. in Wooster in 2008 and its wholly owned subsidiary, Produced Water Absorbents LLC, in Houston, in 2009.
The company has a licensing agreement with the college, which will benefit financially as ABSMaterials grows.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.