Spring 2008 Newsletter
Q & A with Christopher Palazzolo
Our featured scientist this month is Christopher Palazzolo, Project Leader – Formulations at Chemir Analytical Services. Chris brings over 15 years of formulation experience and has been a key ingredient in Chemir’s growing services to the personal care, consumer product and health/beauty industries.
On March 26th, 2008 Chris will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Society of Cosmetic Chemists – Midwest Teamworks meeting in Rosemont, IL. We sat down with him to discuss his experiences, the future of formulation and his double life as a rock- and-roll drummer.
Q: What did you do prior to coming to Chemir?
CP: I’ve previously worked for BASF, Vess Beverages, Vi-Jon Laboratories and Derma Sciences. My roles varied from bench chemist to batch maker to Research & Development Manager. I feel that my background in manufacturing gives me a real understanding of our customers’ challenges. I’m proud to say I’ve developed over 300 products from bench-top to full production.
Q: What are your favorite types of jobs at Chemir?
CP: I enjoy the opportunities when a client comes to us with a concept and needs our help with the formulation. They have an idea of what they want their product to do and we discuss different ways to achieve their goals. For example, a customer may want to change an existing product to become more “natural”. I can help research different ingredients and then formulate samples with these natural products in bench scale quantities.
Often a client wants to take several attributes of different products, combine them and produce a new line of personal care products. I enjoy the interaction with the customer as we discuss aesthetics, the desired characteristics and the production timeline. After doing some research and pre-formulation work I can get into the actual formulation development, determining ingredients and mixing the first bench-top batch. Adjustments may then need to be made in order to match the customer’s ideas. It’s very satisfying to finalize the bench-top formula and help our client achieve their dream.
Q: What are your most challenging projects?
CP: Deformulations/reformulations are interesting. The analytical chemists at Chemir help take apart a product, and the next step for me is reformulation.
Since Chemir specializes in solving unique and complex problems, I often get unusual products to reformulate. This can be quite challenging, especially when uncommon ingredients are used. On the other hand, it is gratifying to help clients with this type of difficult reformulation.
Q: What’s next for 2008 and the future of formulation services?
CP: This past year we have had a lot of work with individuals who have great ideas and need someone to bring them to life. With the internet, people see others become successful by advertising their product on the net which seems to inspire others to try it themselves. As a result there will be some very interesting new products coming out in 2008.
Another trend is that the overflow work is increasing. It seems to have more utility for a company to contract Chemir's services as a "partner", as opposed to hiring another chemist or two and having to pay their salary and benefits. Chemir is unique in that we don’t ask for any residuals on our formulations. If the customer initiates the work, they own the formulation outright with guarantees in place for their protection.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
CP: I’m a drummer in a rock-n-roll band and we play gigs just about every weekend. I’ve been playing the drums since I was five years old. In my younger days, I even toured the country with a hair band. That was quite an experience! Now, I mostly play with my band at various locations around St. Louis.