Emilie Frankenberger Receives Award for Outstanding Bachelor Thesis at SEPAWA 2025
At IMCD, we believe that our people make the difference – through expertise, passion, and the drive to go beyond expectations. This commitment was recently recognized at SEPAWA 2025, one of the leading trade fairs for detergents, cosmetics, and fragrance ingredients. Our colleague Emilie Frankenberger from IMCD Beauty & Personal Care was awarded 3rd place with the „Young Researcher Award“, which honors outstanding theses by young scientists. The annual award's purpose is to support and promote the education and professional development of emerging talent in these fields.
About her thesis
Inspired by the work of our expert Dr Nora Schiemann, Emilie Frankenberger explored mineral sunscreens based on zinc oxide, aiming to optimize skin feel, SPF performance, and appearance, bridging academic insight with practical industry relevance. She created six sunscreen formulations and conducted in-depth studies on two: the Zinc-about-me SPF Lotion and the Zinc-positive SPF Cream. By experimenting with filter concentrations, different SPF boosters and their levels, she investigated efficacy, tolerability, and physicochemical properties.
Emilie Frankenberger
Next-generation Expert
Emilie first discovered IMCD at the SEPAWA Congress 2024, where she attended a presentation by Nora Schiemann. “Her way of explaining complex topics was truly inspiring,” Emilie says. After completing her thesis under Nora’s supervision, Emilie joined IMCD in 2025. Today, she contributes to the Beauty & Personal Care team, working on innovative formulations in Application Laboratory in Cologne and supporting customer projects across the EMEA region.
“The most recent win of the 3rd Prize at SEPAWA Awards for her bachelor thesis and the making of four prototype kits up to now to successfully support our business opportunity pipeline are just examples of her excellent contributions.”– Dr Nora Schiemann.
Emilie’s success story is a great example of how dedication, collaboration, and passion for innovation come together at IMCD. We are proud to see young professionals shaping the future of our industry and to celebrate achievements that inspire others to do the same.
Congratulations, Emilie, on this well-deserved recognition!
Discover one of Emilie’s formulations: Zinc-about-me SPF Lotion
