NEWS
UK startup develops anionic surfactants using captured CO2
UK clean chemistry company Viridi is developing a new class of anionic surfactants that use captured carbon dioxide (CO2
) with the aim
of reducing the environmental impact of personal care ingredients without compromising formulation performance. Its Vireya platform contains and has been
up to 33% CO2
reported to offer a product carbon footprint up to 70% lower than conventional surfactants. Testing has also shown good
cleansing and foaming performance compared with sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). Using CO2
as a feedstock is not
straightforward. The molecule is highly stable and does not readily react with the other building blocks required to produce useful materials.
Viridi has developed a solid
catalyst that lowers the energy barrier needed for the reaction, allowing captured CO2
to be
incorporated into the molecular structure of a surfactant. The catalyst operates at
lower temperatures than existing catalysts used in these processes, can be reused multiple times and
contains no harmful ingredients. It is also designed to work
within existing surfactant production assets, helping ensure that CO2
-derived alternatives can
be manufactured without requiring an entirely new production route or becoming more costly to produce than conventional surfactants. For formulators, however, changing the carbon source is only valuable if the finished ingredient still performs as required. Viridi’s development work
therefore assesses properties including surface-tension reduction, foam generation, foam nature and stability, cleansing
performance and mildness before the surfactants are evaluated in complete formulations. Vireya’s potential irritancy has been assessed using the Zein test, an established in vitro screening method commonly used to evaluate surfactant mildness. The test measures
interaction with zein, a plant-based protein used as an
analogue for skin keratin. In testing, Vireya showed up to a tenfold improvement compared with SLES. The opportunities presented technology are also
by Viridi’s CO2
being evaluated beyond Viridi’s own laboratories. The company is working
with consumer brand owners on application testing and formulation optimisation, while German speciality chemicals manufacturer Zschimmer & Schwarz is collaborating with Viridi under a joint development agreement focused on scaling and commercialising CO2
-based
surfactants. The agreement followed
extensive trials that identified multiple potential applications and use cases for the technology.
13
Saanroo reveals hair health benefits
A clinical study evaluating Saanroo’s proprietary Ageratum conyzoides ingredient has found positive effects on hair health, including improvements in hair pigmentation and density in adults. Published in the peer-
reviewed Journal of Cosmetology & Trichology, the 12-week open- label clinical study enrolled 65 adults with between 10% to 50% grey hair in the temporal scalp region. Participants applied a topical
serum containing 0.5% HairAge Vitae twice daily, and researchers evaluated changes in grey hair density, the percentage of grey hair across multiple scalp regions, participant self-assessments of hair appearance, and safety outcomes. The results showed that
HairAge Vitae significantly reduced grey hair density while improving multiple measures of overall hair appearance, further strengthening the scientific foundation for the ingredient in topical hair care applications. HairAge Vitae is a proprietary
ingredient developed for hair care applications, available as both a topical and an oral supplement.
www.personalcaremagazine.com
October 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE
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