Food byproducts are being increasingly upcycled as raw material by the cosmetic industry. Ecovia intelligence expects adoption rates to rise as the cosmetic industry moves towards, as well as develop products for circular economy.
Food side streams or food by-products are already established as source of natural ingredients. Some ingredients such as palm kernel oil are widely used in cosmetic and personal care products. There is great demand for such raw material because of growing consumer demand for natural and organic personal care products. Sustainability is another major driver with cosmetic ingredient firms making pledges to use more plant based and natural ingredients in their formulation.
As will be shown at the Sustainable Cosmetic Summit, there is heightened interest in up cycled ingredients this year. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply of natural ingredients. The collection and processing of plant material has been affected by emergencies measures introduced by state and national government. Ingredient buyers also experienced higher transportation cost and delays because of quarantine measures at ports. The pandemic is leading many operators to consider regional if not local supply sources of natural ingredients. Food by-products are increasingly viewed as a sustainable source of such material.
The last 12 months has seen the launched of some notable upcycled ingredients. The French company Laboratories Expanscience has developed an active eye care ingredient from discarded avocadoes. It has set up a sustainable supply chain for the raw material from Peru. Givaudan recently launched Koffee’s Up. Marketed as an alternative to argan oil, the upcycled ingredient is made from coffee ground. The ingredient has been developed in partnership with the Danish start up Kaffe Bueno.
RAHN AG us upcycling pumpkin seeds to n make the active ingredient Reforcyl –Aion sourced from pumpkins in Styria (Austria) the skincare ingredient is marketed as conforming to the principles of circular economy. Cargill Beauty has extracted pectin from leftover lemon peel to product a new text riser and emulsion stabilizer for skin care products.
Cosmetic brands are creating deducted lines based on upcycled ingredients. The Taiwanese company Hair ’O’ right is pioneers- it introduced natural hair care products made from spent coffee grounds in 2006. It is now creating products using other upcycled ingredients such as goji berry roots and distiller grains. The use of such ingredients fits into the ethos of sustainable brands. It is carbon neutral and leading user by recycled packaging material.
Recognition of its green endeavours came last year when received the sustainability leadership title at the 2019 Sustainable Beauty Awards. New brands are emerging that are positioned on their upcycled ingredients. Launched in the UK, the Dr Craft brand uses discarded black currant pulp t make sustainable hair colours. Upcircle Beauty is another UK brand that upcycled waste material for its skin care range. New York based LOLI Beauty is also using upcycled ingredients. Its products Plum Elixir is made flum kernel oil that is sourced from organic farms.
Cosmetic and personal care companies are looking to make transition to circular economy. Large forms like Unilever and P&G are developing zero waste and moving to sustainable packaging material. Since removing waste is one of the tenants of the circular economy, upcycling presents an opportunity to such companies. The adoption ate of upcycled ingredients are expected to rise as such cosmetic form re-formulate their products using ingredients from waste streams.
Green material including the use of upcycled ingredients will be key subject to discuss in upcoming editions of the Sustainable Cosmetic Summit 2021.
Source: Ecovia Intelligence, London-UK