My first week at Clarity passed by quicker than expected. But that could be the result of starting on a Tuesday and finishing early on the Friday. But before I dive into the events of my first week at the charity, let me provide you with an insight into what they’re all about.
Clarity is a social enterprise that produces home care and personal care products. The company has charitable status as the majority of their workforce has some form of disability. The charity uses the money that they make from the sale of their products to support and provide employment for those with disabilities.
The role I have taken on within the charity involves working as a lab assistant and conducting desk-based research. Currently my research is focused on finding an alternative to an antibacterial agent that is used in some of their hand washes. Although this compound has not been banned by the E.U, its use in personal care products has been restricted to 0.3%, for it has found to cause hormonal imbalances and has been linked to cancer.
Although there are various types of antibacterial agents, finding an alternative has slightly more difficult than expected. This is due the sensitivity of the formulations currently used to make the hand wash, any slight changes could completely alter the stability of the product. Therefore, over the next two weeks, I’ll be focusing on how the formulations can be adapted to the use of different antibacterial agents.