This year, the Challenge will address the potential of new instant-foam products in the fast-growing Sun Care/SPF 20+ and after-sun product category, Robert Brands, Airspray’s Chief Executive Officer, announced here today.

Open to manufacturers, contract packagers, distributors and formulators, the product entry can target women, men, adults or children, as long as it is developed for the Airspray instant foam dispensing technology.

Awards include (for direct customers, contract packager or distributor) a corporate award of 10,000 Euro and a personal award for the formulator by way of a trip to Holland during Tulip Time.

The winner of The 2006 Airspray Formulation Challenge will be announced at HBA 2006, scheduled this year for September 12-14, in New York City. Submissions must be received by August 15, 2006. Formulations will be evaluated by a panel of industry experts.

Degussa, the global market leader in specialty chemicals, was named winner of the first annual Airspray Formulation Challenge in 2005, when the contest was focused on formulations for shaving foam.

The company is convinced that instant-foam sun care SPF products represent a major growth segment. “In the U.S., western Europe and in relatively immature sun care product markets such as eastern Europe, women and, increasingly, men, are becoming aware of the need to provide their skin with UV protection during leisure activities, and whenever they are exposed to the sun,” said Robert Brands. “Consumers now know that overexposure to the sun accelerates skin aging and can cause serious disease.

“As the market for SPF protection matures,” he said, “look to forward-thinking market leaders to develop new, differentiated products with innovative dispensing. Value-added dispenser technology has become a powerful advantage for manufacturers in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

According to Robert Brands, this year’s Airspray Formulation Challenge will encourage product developers to address this significant international market opportunity and expects entries designed to appeal to women as well as to niche markets such as men, children, senior citizens, and people with naturally darker skins.

In terms of function and consumer appeal, Airspray dispensers create creamy foam that reduces product drip, is soothing to the skin and is easy to spread, thus encouraging frequent usage. Consumer acceptance of a wide range of instant-foam product categories also encourages new entries in the sun care product market, the company believes.

Airspray finger pumps all work without gas propellants to transform liquid into foam with a single push of a button.