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Figure 1
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Team 12

Team Members

Faculty Advisor

Liam Curtin
Lixing Counsilman
Damian Rydzewski
Samiha Haque

Anson Ma

Sponsor

Unilever

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Process Development for Personal Care Dilutable Concentrates

As climate change becomes an ever-increasing problem, Unilever has goals of moving more towards green energy and reduced waste. As a way to continue reducing their environmental impact, they have created a new, innovative product that allows consumers to create their own lotion at home. This product includes a lotion concentrate sold in recyclable packaging and a reusable aluminum bottle with the purpose of having the customer mix water from home to form a full bottle of lotion. Adding water at home reduces product weight during shipping and therefore reduces the levels of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Our team’s goal for this project was to test several variables that may affect the lotion’s quality, such as the temperature of the water added, the water hardness, the amount of water added, and the method of mixing. We measured the consistency of performance using a rheometer, an instrument that measures viscosity through a function of shear rates, as a way to quantify any changes to the lotion’s appearance and feel. This way, we could distinguish any variables that created noticeable differences in the product’s quality. Using this information, we can now help Unilever update their product’s instructions so that the customer is ensured a good, consistent product and experience while caring for the environment.