TRENDING TECHNOLOGIES
Why biosurfactants are becoming key ingredients
Dominic Büning - Sasol Chemicals
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Surfactants play a critical role in the personal care industry. They act as cleansing agents, dispersants, thickening agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, solubilizers, wetting agents and more. For example, surfactants are used as
emulsifiers within many daily leave-on products like creams, lotions and sunscreens, where they stabilize two or multiphase systems of immiscible liquids. As key ingredients in every rinse-off formulation, such as facial cleansers, shampoos and shower gels, surfactants are used to cleanse the hair, scalp and skin effectively. Thus, these ingredients significantly
contribute to our daily hygiene routine. Furthermore, they are also known for their encapsulating properties for other water- insoluble ingredients, such as essential oils and perfumes. Despite offering these various functions and
fascinating features, there are a few reasons why the industry needs advanced surfactant alternatives. First, some traditional surfactants can cause irritation and itchiness to the scalp and skin, which is particularly relevant for sensitive users of daily personal care products and rinse-off power users like professional hairdressers or medical
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staff who frequently come in contact with these formulations throughout the day. For this reason, there has always been
a market pull towards more mild surfactant systems and the resulting formulations. Ideally, these systems should also help moisturize and protect the skin barrier function, ultimately limiting transepidermal water loss. Second, innovative ingredients should be
able to unlock premium performance that allows formulators to address important consumer needs and today’s major industry trends. For example, multifunctional surfactants that combine foaming and mild cleansing action with skin and scalp care properties are in line with the current trend towards a more minimalistic formulation approach and higher efficiency. Third, the production of surfactants is
traditionally based on petrochemical, palm kernel oil (PKO) and/or coconut oil (CNO)- derived feedstocks, some of which account for significant carbon emissions and other adverse effects on the environment such as deforestation and biodiversity loss in tropical regions. With the push to meet net-zero emissions
and increasing environmental social governance (ESG) requirements, an ever-growing number of consumers and manufacturers are highly
conscious of the ecological footprint of daily personal care products. This induces a rising demand for more sustainable ingredients in the cosmetic industry. Future ingredients should therefore aim to be based on renewable and sustainably sourced feedstocks. They should be safe for humans and the environment, be completely biodegradable, have a lower product carbon footprint and ideally feature novel exciting properties. With these considerations, fermentation-
derived biosurfactants represent an important upcoming class of sustainable ingredients for innovative personal care formulations. These biodegradable, very mild and
multifunctional ingredients combine classical surfactant properties with advanced scalp and skin care as well as microbiome-related benefits.1 This article discusses how these fossil- and palm-free alternatives are becoming more widely used in the industry.
Classes of bio-based surfactants and sustainability considerations Before approaching the topic, it is important to recall the different terminology between bio-based surfactants and biosurfactants. Per definition, bio-based surfactants broadly refer
November 2023 PERSONAL CARE
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