18 TESTING
Biobased certification for skin care products
n Haley Gershon – Beta Analytic, US
Product ingredients are a significant factor that consumers take into consideration when making purchasing decisions. This is evident within the personal care sector, which is witnessing a preference for eco- friendly ingredients as the market experiences a shift away from petrochemical-based ingredients toward plant-derived options.1 For skin care items such as sunscreens,
moisturizers, lotions, and facial care products, manufacturers are including biobased material, ingredients derived from biomass resources, to keep up with the growing trend for naturally-derived ingredients.1
In addition, to demonstrate
the use of eco-friendly ingredients in skin care products, several manufacturers are opting to certify their products to display biobased eco-labels. The use of biobased eco-labels tends to create consumer confidence in the products they are purchasing and often affects consumer purchasing decisions. Recognizable certification schemes for biobased products include the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred®
Program,
in which eligible products can display the USDA Biobased eco-label. Carbon-14 testing is required by the USDA BioPreferred program, in addition to several other biobased certification schemes, in order to validate the percentage of biobased content that comprises a product’s ingredients.
Eco-friendly trends Environmental and health-conscious consumers are paying attention to product labels and the type of ingredients used in personal care items that are applied to one’s skin. Consumers seeking to buy eco-friendly products are interested in skin care products comprised of plant extracts. This preference is a major driver in the growth of the global natural-derived cosmetics market, which was worth about $36 billion in 2019 and is forecasted to continue growing to approximately $54 billion by 2027.2,3 Furthermore, during a survey conducted among 197 participants in 2018, 70% of
PERSONAL CARE NORTH AMERICA
respondents said they are willing to pay extra for personal care items made with natural ingredients, demonstrating that regardless of price, there is heightened importance placed on the type of ingredients used to formulate products.4 As manufacturers prioritize the use of
plant-derived material, they also recognize the need for carbon-14 testing to verify biobased content, which may qualify products for biobased certifications.
The carbon-14 method Manufacturers often consult an ISO 17025- accredited carbon-14 dating laboratory in order to confirm the percentage of biobased ingredients within skin care products. The analysis is performed according to internationally recognized standards, such as ASTM D6866 which is developed specifically for biobased content determination, applicable to solids, liquids, and gasses using the radiocarbon dating method.5 After submitting samples to biobased
testing laboratories like Beta Analytic, located in Miami, Florida, the laboratory
performs carbon-14 analysis using an accelerator mass spectrometer instrument. This instrument counts the number of carbon-14 atoms present in a given sample and, depending on the amount of carbon- 14 present, the percentage of biobased content is calculated. This is because any organism that was once alive contains a certain amount of carbon-14, while petroleum-derived material does not have any carbon-14. Therefore, any sample that yields a result between 0% and 100% biobased means the sample has some amount of carbon-14, thus it contains plant- based ingredients. A result of 0% biobased indicates there is only petroleum-derived material in a sample while a result of 100% biobased confirms it is fully composed of plant-based ingredients.6 By verifying how much biobased
material has been used in the formulation of products as opposed to petroleum- based alternatives, the carbon-14 measurement allows companies to validate biobased claims. Measuring a product ingredient’s biobased content acts as a
May 2020
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