4. Formulation strategies

Engineers involved in formulation have different objectives, depending on whether they work for a company producing chemical specialties or a company responsible for marketing a finished product such as a pharmaceutical or parachemical speciality. In the former case, they seek to develop new products based on molecular structure/technical function relationships (coloring, thickening, perfuming, inactivating microorganisms, etc.), while the latter, further downstream, reason more in terms of ingredient technical function/finished product performance relationships (protecting and decorating a wall, cleaning teeth, forming an image, etc.).

Over and above this diversity, they have several points in common, which stem from their pivotal position within the company. In fact, as they are responsible for transforming an original concept or a new active ingredient into a...