Nail varnish made from renewable raw materials

Under the academic supervision of Prof. Dr Marc Leimenstoll, four students are currently working on the project as part of their final-year dissertations at the TH Köln.

“Our students are given the valuable opportunity to design their final-year projects in a practical and application-oriented way and to contribute to the development of resource-efficient solutions,” explains Prof. Dr Marc Leimenstoll. The students synthesise new materials, investigate innovative paint formulations and test their performance characteristics – an ideal way to combine scientific theory with practical research.

“We are delighted that this partnership will enable us to support both our students and sustainable innovation in the chemical industry,” said Prof. Dr Marc Leimenstoll.

The start-up ALPHA LEVERKUSEN, founded in 2021 by Sabine Oberpriller, is dedicated, amongst other things, to the development of biogenic coating systems based on modern polymer and coating chemistry – ranging from UV-curing specialist applications to sustainable solutions for industrial and DIY contexts. For her innovative work, Sabine Oberpriller was recognised, amongst other honours, as a finalist for the 2022 ZENIT Innovation Award.

A key milestone in the collaboration between ALPHA LEVERKUSEN and the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences is the finalisation of a prototype formulation for a biogenic UV nail varnish. Building on various preliminary studies, Prof. Dr Marc Leimenstoll’s research group has been working since the summer semester of 2026 to systematically improve the formulation and application properties of the nail varnish.

The Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences provides support through its state-of-the-art laboratory facilities at the Leverkusen campus, as well as its scientific expertise and knowledge of analytical methods in the fields of rheology, UV curing and materials characterisation.