FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS


25


Olive oil upcycled ‘surf-active’ for skin and hair


Mariagrazia Pelizzari, Arsema Mesfin Asrat, Guglielmo Bifulco, Francesco Rastrelli, Gianbattista Rastrelli - Kalichem


The use of common surfactants exposes well-known environmental issues such as low biodegradability and possible toxicological effects for human, animal and aquatic life, and adverse effects for skin and eye. Studies have shown the ecological impacts of commercially available surfactants, including anionic and cationic ones (quaternary ammonium compounds) due to their bioaccumulative properties and toxicity behaviour.1 The widespread and daily use of skin care


and cleansing products has led over the years to concerns about water contamination by surfactants contained in cosmetic products. Evidence has shown that some of the common classes of surfactants (alkyl sulphates, amine oxide, alcohol ethoxylates, sulfonate derivatives etc.), since they could not be fully removed by water treatment, might accumulate in water courses with foam formation and water oxygen levels reduction, with toxic effect for aquatic life.1,2 It has also been demonstrated that the


breakdown products could be more toxic than their precursors for the persistence in the environment.1


For example, the SLES (generally


biodegradable) could turn into a non- biodegradable substance, if contaminated by 1,4-dioxane (by-product from the ethoxylation reaction of sodium lauryl sulphate).3 It was found that both products containing anionic, as alkyl ether sulphates, and non-ionic polyethoxylated surfactants, could potentially contain 1,4-dioxane which has a well-known toxic and severe side-effect potential. Some surfactants give irritation issues, with negative effects both for the skin (in most of cases dryness and roughness, or skin burning as it has been reported for sulphates,1


and for the eyes


(from reddening and tearing to severe damage to the ocular tissue) especially with long-term use, depending on the surfactant, pH and concentration.4


Surfactants and water scarcity Published studies have shown that, among the surfactants on the market, some of them as acyl glutamate and alaninate need less amount of water for product removal than conventional surfactants (with reduction of water consumption by 40% compared to sulfates and betaines).5 It was demonstrated that the water saving


features of acyl glutamates are given by the specific polarity of their polar head size


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(thus the effective head area, which changes with pH and is larger than the polar head of a sulfate); the reduced glutamate charge density than its sulfate counterpart produces a weaker electrostatic attraction to a substrate. Glutamate-based surfactants have therefore shown to be less aggressive than benchmark surfactants and with known ecological, sustainable and biodegradable properties.


Olive-oil based surfactants: sustainability profile Olive-oil based specialties fully address the cosmetic market needs in boosting the sustainability and cleanliness of beauty products. Olive oil, in fact, is not produced from crops that require annual sowing like other oils (soy, rapeseed, corn, sunflower etc.) but from permanent crops with various advantages from a sustainability perspective. Compared to annual plantations, olive groves absorb greater amount of CO2


from


the atmosphere; their soil is richer in nutrients as it is processed less frequently; this also means less waste of energy, including human resources; they require less water for irrigation since the deeper roots allow them to absorb water more deeply, a very important aspect in terms of optimizing the management of water resources; they take years to reach the


production phase, giving the ecosystem time to mature and reach balance between the various species (in fact they require very low use of insecticides). Furthermore, the olive oil extraction method


can be considered more sustainable because it does not require the use of solvents and heat, but is a mechanical method at lower temperatures. Finally, olive oil crops are always non-GMO.


Upcycling process: olive fatty acids There are different varieties of olive oil depending on the fraction of free fatty acids not bound to glycerol to form triglycerides (oil acidity). Due to its high acidity index (>2%),


‘lampante’ oil (byproduct of olive oil production for food industry, traditionally used in lamps as combustive agent) is allowed to be used only to obtain refined oils for food use (‘recycling’ model), or fatty acids as components of cosmetic raw materials (‘upcyling’ model, given the well-known cosmetics benefits of oleic and linoleic acids, both components making around 80% of olive fatty acids composition profile). The olive oil fatty acids present in Olivoil


specialties are obtained through the hydrolysis of olive oil triglycerides contained in this specific variety.


Olivoil specialities Olivoil specialties are a family of lipo-amino acid/lipo-sugar based emulsifiers and surfactants developed by Kalichem. The raw material of interest object of this discussion is the ‘surf-active’ Olivoil Glutamate (OG) (active components INCI: Sodium Olivoyl Glutamate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate). The ‘surf-active’ concept refers to the capability of specific molecules of acting at the same time both as surfactant and skin/hair functional ingredient. The active features of OG rely on the functional impact given by olive oil fatty acids. Oleic acid (omega-9) is a particularly powerful emollient agent able to reduce the appearance of aging, such as premature wrinkles and fine lines. It proved to revert some processes related


to hair metabolism issues such as hair depigmentation, dermatitis and baldness, reduce dandruff and support hair growth. Linoleic acid (Omega-6) is a skin-conditioning agent: since it retains skin moisture, it makes the skin softer, smoother, plumper and healthier.


September 2024 PERSONAL CARE


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