SUSTAINABILITY
45
How to design sustainable personal care products
Camilo Cardenas - Sagentia Innovation
With sustainability now a focal point of personal care product strategy, formulations are under the spotlight. This will intensify as developments such as the EU’s ‘safe and sustainable by design’ ethos gain momentum. It is also increasingly clear that the creation
of sustainable products is a solid business decision. While sustainable innovation brings financial costs, we are rapidly approaching a time where products will only be commercially viable if they are sustainable. A 2023 study by McKinsey and NielsenIQ
revealed that products making environmental, social and governance (ESG) related claims averaged 28% cumulative growth over the five years prior. This compares to 20% for products that made no such claims. So, how should personal care companies
go about the design and development of sustainable products? The value chain is long and intricate, with many interdependent and interconnecting elements. It is hard to obtain a balanced, holistic perspective and harder still to make tangible, sweeping improvements to sustainability. Historically, packaging has dominated the
sustainability agenda for these goods, but it is only one part of the equation. The entire value chain must be analysed, from raw materials and ingredients to production, consumption, and end-of-life processes.
Managing conflict in sustainable design Sustainability is not a binary issue, it is fraught with grey areas and nuance. Developing sustainable personal care products inevitably involves compromise, and trade-offs need to be identified carefully, managed strategically, then communicated clearly. One aspect of this is avoiding the tendency for a single sustainability theme to monopolise attention and resource. A single-issue approach risks solving one problem while ignoring others which may be causing greater harm elsewhere. Navigating this complex territory demands
critical evaluation and informed decision- making across product performance, ingredient science, and regulatory strategy. There can be a great deal of tension between the three areas, and interactions between them may be complicated. However, managing this conflict in a productive way can generate commercially viable sustainable products which satisfy consumer needs.
www.personalcaremagazine.com
Product performance: balancing sustainability with usability and efficacy Much research has been done to profile what eco-conscious consumers want, what they care about, and how much they are willing to spend on products with better sustainability credentials. However, there can be a significant disconnect between how people intend to act and how they behave. Personal care formulations need to
deliver a good experience, fit with consumer lifestyle, and come at an acceptable price point. Achieving all this while improving on sustainability is quite the balancing act.
Delivering on performance Whether it is shampoo or a skin care product, consumers have standards that personal care products need to meet. Defining what good looks like, and identifying where compromise may be acceptable, is a useful exercise. In some use cases, sensory experience holds
near equal weighting to efficacy. Understanding this can help shape design decisions, resulting in products that continue to delight consumers even if certain performance factors must be conceded due to a change of ingredients or formulation. Take sodium lauryl sulphate, a common surfactant that helps remove oil and dirt
ABSTRACT
Improving the environmental sustainability of personal care products is complex. It requires analysis, and potential overhaul, across the entire product lifecycle, from ingredients and their raw materials to formulations, manufacturing processes, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Camilo Cardenas, principal consultant at Sagentia Innovation, offers practical tips for the design and development of sustainable formulations that deliver commercial benefits.
from hair and skin. It is often manufactured from palm oil or petroleum, which can pose sustainability concerns, and it can also be an irritant for some people. However, consumers tend to associate the
lather it creates with cleanliness. It may be necessary to find alternative sensorial means to indicate effectiveness, or to educate consumers that a product can perform well without a foamy lather.
Fit with consumer lifestyle Some sustainable product ideas may be disruptive, changing the way consumers interact
October 2024 PERSONAL CARE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108
