SUSTAINABILITY 39


of sourcing lower impact ingredients ensures formulations remain distinctive in a crowded market.


Biogenic carbon in action: Croda Beauty’s ECO range Our 100% biobased, 100% renewable ECO range of surfactants was intentionally designed with biobased content at a time before biogenic carbon was widely included in carbon reporting. By using an alternate route to EO, with bioethanol from biomass sources, it significantly increases the biobased content of ethoxylated products and reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Moreover, the ingredient performance is identical to petro-based alternatives. When calculating, and then considering, the


PCF of ECO surfactants, the biogenic and total carbon data reveals the true value of biobased ingredients. For instance, in ECO Brij™ O10 MBAL the inclusion of biogenic removals in the PCF calculation demonstrates a reduction in the overall PCF of more than 70%. This data highlights the potential, and in some


cases highly impactful, benefits of biobased feedstocks, such as those in our ECO range. When including biogenic carbon removals, the PCF of ECO Brij O10 MBAL is 57% lower than its petrochemical equivalent (Figure 2). Biogenic removals can even allow for the


identification or creation of ingredients with a PCF below zero. For example, Syncrowax™ HRC, a wax that reduces crystallinity and rigidity of other waxes when used in waterless systems, providing a smoother application and pleasant after-feel, was designed using high biobased content. When accounting for biogenic carbon


removals, this ingredient achieves a negative cradle-to-gate PCF. These figures are based on Croda Beauty Product Carbon Footprint Data (2025); the calculation is on a cradle-to-gate basis and excludes packaging. This means more carbon has been absorbed during the growth of its biobased materials than is emitted during its manufacture.


Unlocking value in ‘natural’ formulations ‘Natural’ formulations, typically seen as those made with biobased ingredients (i.e ingredients of natural or derived-natural origin as per ISO 16128), have long been positioned as ‘environmentally friendly’ compared to petrochemical alternatives. However, this is really an unsubstantiated claim, without robust data. And their true climate impact is hard to quantify. Biogenic carbon data changes this by revealing how biobased ingredients contribute to lowering a product’s carbon footprint. Even a single ingredient can make a


difference, as illustrated in Figure 3. Croda Beauty’s 100% naturally derived (as per ISO 26128) emollient, Crodamol™ GTCC - used in this suggested formulation at a 15% inclusion rate - has a lightweight and pleasant after-feel in formulation. It can be an alternative to synthetic, petrochemically-derived emollients, which are not biobased.


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Formulation PCF incl. biogenic removals from Crodamol GTCC


Figure 3: Reduced product carbon footprint of a cleansing formulation when accounting for biogenic carbon removals from Crodamol GTCC, used at a 15% inclusion rate. The green bar (left) shows the PCF of a cleansing oil formulation, and the peach bar (right) shows the PCF of the same formulation when including biogenic removals for just one ingredient. PCF based on Croda Beauty Product Carbon Footprint Data (2025); calculation is on a cradle-to-gate basis and excludes packaging


The biogenic removals from Crodamol GTCC


alone reduce the formulation’s PCF by over 10%. This highlights how combining the right ingredients and prioritising products with high biobased content may lead to reductions in the carbon footprint of consumer care products versus products where this is not considered. Further, it demonstrates the potential benefits of selecting renewable alternatives in place of petrochemical- based materials.


Setting the methodological standard for carbon transparency Within the chemical market, Together for Sustainability (TfS) is redefining expectations for supplier data transparency and carbon reporting across the value chain. Their methodology aligns with relevant ISO standards (including ISO14044:2006 and ISO14067:2019) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and ensures convergence with the new World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) v3.0 framework used by many brands worldwide.3,4 By aligning with widely accepted global


initiatives, TfS is helping to work towards a consistent standard within the chemical industry. This will be vital for the simplicity and comparability of PCFs moving forwards, allowing brands to trust that the quality of data and methods of calculations used by their suppliers are comparable and representative of methods used by their own in-house teams. Croda Beauty’s PCF method is highly aligned


with TfS’ Product Carbon Footprint Guidance v3.0 (2024). By proactively integrating biogenic removals and carbon content subcategories into our PCF calculations, Croda Beauty is preparing for mandatory updates expected in 2025 and 2027 - helping our customers to turn insights into a competitive edge and bolstering today’s efforts to advance sustainability.


Jolene Maloney, sustainability marketing


manager at Croda Beauty, said: “We are committed to continuously enhancing both the breadth and quality of our data year-on-year. Improved data transparency and accuracy provide deeper insights into our portfolio and help us identify the key areas in which we should focus our emissions reduction strategies and where this benefits our customers. “We believe this level of data transparency


is a huge step forward, and we want to help our customers and the wider personal care industry to better understand, and therefore, use it effectively.” Croda Beauty’s methodology was third-party


verified prior to the addition of biogenic data in November 2025 and will be re-assessed in 2026 for renewed verification.


Turning carbon intelligence into disruption: a new era for beauty PCF insights empower brands to design products with a lower carbon impact, supporting informed innovation and climate-conscious choices alongside the high-performance consumers expect. Croda Beauty’s ‘Measure it to Master it’


initiative embodies this concept. By calculating more than 1,550 PCFs across its portfolio, Croda Beauty and its customers gain visibility to identify emissions hotspots and take targeted action to reduce environmental impact, enabling informed decisions across the value chain. But what does this mean for innovators?


Formulators: Designing for climate impact Applying the principles in the Measure it to Master it approach allows formulation scientists to more confidently deliver against climate metrics in marketing briefs. Beyond texture, stability, and sensory attributes, PCF, including biogenic CO2


e January 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE


Product Carbon Footprint (%)


10.7% reduction


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