86 BIOSURFACTANTS


Sustainable glycolipids for personal care


Joseph Shieh, Peter Schwab, Stefan Liebig, Uta Kortemeier and Nadine Truchan – Evonik


Surfactants are an indispensable part of people’s daily lives as they are used in a wide range of home and personal care applications. They are often used as the core ingredients for cleansing, foaming, emulsifying, solubilizing, and conditioning purposes in personal hygiene applications such as shampoo, body cleanser, make-up removers, or toothpaste. Short for ‘surface-active agents’, surfactants


are made up of both hydrophilic and lipophilic parts, and this unique molecular composition gives them the ability to reduce surface tension. When surfactants are used in personal cleansing products, the lipophilic end of the surfactant attracts and lifts the dirt on the skin or hair surface, while the hydrophilic end of the surfactant allows the micelle-trapped dirt to be easily rinsed by the water. While conventional petrochemical-based


surfactants serve functional purposes, they present a lower eco profile with common concerns on sustainable sourcing and environmental biodegradation. Furthermore, some of these conventional petrochemical- based surfactants are known to cause irritation to the human body. In recent years, the global beauty and


personal care market has shown a keen interest in surfactants with higher naturality and mildness claims. These natural surfactants are often delivered by biotechnologies from three


Petrochemicals Partially bio-based


categories: partially bio-based surfactants, fully bio-based surfactants, and biosurfactants (Figure 1). Partially bio-based surfactants are mostly


synthesized with fatty alcohols and fatty acids derived from tropical natural sources. They often have limitations on natural origins with a lack of sustainable branding value for the brands. The fully bio-based surfactants are plant-based yet still produced by a synthetic chemical process.


Fully bio-based Biosurfactants Most bio-based surfactants are still mainly


sourced from tropical oils and potentially involve the use of hazardous raw materials or processes. While there is a growing demand for bio-based surfactants in the market, a transition to more sustainable biosurfactants is underway. This is driven by the increasing global


demand for environmentally friendly solutions and growing awareness of consumers and manufacturers. Sustainable biosurfactants are produced by microorganisms with mostly nature-identical molecules. Of all the biosurfactants used in the cosmetics industry, glycolipids are the most widely researched and commercialized. Glycolipids are a class of lipids normally


found in the cell membranes of microorganisms. They can be produced on an industrial scale using natural fermentation processes based on renewable natural resources (Figure 2). Their nature-identical molecules


■ Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate


■ Synthetic alcohol ethoxylates


■ Crude oil feedstock ■ CO2


footprint


■ Mostly tropical oil based


■ Often hazardous raw materials


■ Alkyl ether sulfates ■ Cocamidopropyl betaine


■ Alkyl polyglucoside (APG)


■ Sodium cocoyl glycinate


■ Mostly tropical oil based


■ Often hazardous raw materials or processes


■ Performance gaps Figure 1: Evolution of surfactants to biosurfactants PERSONAL CARE September 2023


■ Until recently, no feasible industrial production


■ Rhamnolipids ■ Sophorolipids


and biological activities offer excellent biocompatibility with higher biodegradability and lower ecological toxicity. Other than the appealing environmentally friendly profile, glycolipid-based personal care applications are effective and mild. This makes them highly attractive to consumers, offering excellent branding value for personal care manufacturers to enhance their brand equity and tap into new, fast-growing markets for natural, organic, and sustainable products, as well as to expand into the premium segment.


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