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Firmenich joins the Union for Ethical BioTrade
Leading multinational fragrance ingredients provider Firmenich has confirmed that it has joined the growing number of businesses joining the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT). The UEBT promotes sourcing that respects the environment, biodiversity and ethical practices such as benefit-sharing, local development and labour rights.
Firmenich’s Center of Expertise of Naturals, in Grasse, France, has been a member of UEBT since 2014, so the latest move gives the company membership to the organization at a global level. The company says that the expanded membership will play a key role in its 2030 ESG objectives on the responsible sourcing of raw materials. The company currently sources natural raw materials from 50 countries, worldwide.
Gin distillery leftovers turned into skin rejuvenating ingredient
UK-based ingredient company Full Circle has partnered up with an award-winning brewery to develop a skin rejuvenating ingredient from gin distillery leftovers.
The sustainable beauty pioneers wanted to prove that the beauty and personal care industry can thrive by making the most of byproducts, by upcycling them to create highly effective ingredients with an enhanced sustainability profile.
Gin Toniq is the first of a series of upcycled water-soluble actives from the Toniq range that will complement the company’s existing Necta and Crush ranges of upcycled scrubs and powders. The Gin Toniq ingredient has been created through a partnership with UK-based brewer and distiller Adnams, which has built on its 149-year history by creating a ‘zero to landfill’ policy that is part of a decades-long commitment to sustainability.
Full Circle has stepped in to help the brewer in its zero to landfill aims by transforming locally grown grain ferment leftover from the Adnam’s gin brewing operation to help create the Gin Toniq ingredient, a long-lasting hydrating and moisturization active. Full Circle claims that for every bottle of gin the brewer produces, it can upcycle 4 litres of gin distillery leftovers, consisting of germinated, malted and fermented malted barley, that would otherwise go to waste.
The leftover grain ferment is free of alcohol at this point and is captured by Full Circle and combined with glycerine, a process that not only eliminates the need for any type of preservation but also provides a synergistic combination on the skin.
The company’s in-vivo studies have shown that this combination helps give the Gin Toniq ingredient three times more moisture than glycerine alone and can also deliver up to 8 hours of hydration. The studies also revealed that the ingredient has inflammatory properties, making it ideal for soothing and calming skincare products, and in particular the new trend for maskne treatments.
“Gin Toniq proves that there is so much value in what many would consider to be a waste product. As with the rest of our portfolio, this new launch supports our mission to help beauty and personal care brands transition towards a circular economy without compromising product quality or performance,” said Harry McIlwraith, general manager, Full Circle.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Adnams who are also committed to diverting waste from landfill. It’s partnerships like this that helps make what we do possible.”
Full Circle says the ingredient is natural, vegan, Ecocert approved, China compliant and can be used with a wide range of face and body care applications, including daily use products.
Kylie Cosmetics to reformulate as vegan and “clean“
Kylie Jenner, founder of one of the world’s leading beauty brands, has announced via Instagram that her Kylie Cosmetics line is going both vegan and clean, joining a growing band of leading brands that are tapping into these trends.
The Kylie Cosmetics website has been shut down for several weeks now, while the company undergoes a rebranding, and although no other details of the rebranding have been revealed, it would appear that the product lines will be completely reformulated.
In the Instagram post, Kylie Jenner conceded that a major part of this rebranding would be to make the product line kinder to animals by ruling out the use of ingredients tested on animals, while also ensuring that the products have a minimal impact on the environment.
Details of the rebranding, the new formulations and the packaging are due to be announced when the website opens up again, although no date for that has been confirmed yet.
Felix Biotechnology partners with Biocogent on skincare ingredients
In the US, Felix Biotechnology has announced that it has partnered with Biocogent, a leading provider of high technology ingredients to the beauty and personal care market. The project will focus on the strengths of the Felix Biotechnology platform to help develop chemical-free and functional ingredients for Biocogent’s skincare applications.
The partnership will specifically focus on ingredients that target problematic bacteria in the skin microbiome that can lead to irritations, rashes and acne. The companies want to target the growing recognition of solutions that remove only problematic bacteria while preserving beneficial bacterial of the human microbiome, to give a clearer, healthier-looking complexion.
Apoena Biotech to launch multifunctional biotech ingredient
Brazil-based Apoena Biotech, an agricultural-facing biotech business, has announced the opening of its newly formed beauty and personal care biotech ingredient division.
The company is readying its first ingredient for launch on the market later this year, which will be a multifunctional active product that will be both a co-surfactant and an anti-inflammatory. The company is aiming to build on the launch of this ingredient with a much bigger portfolio of biotech ingredients that will have a broad spectrum of applications, with a focus on both efficacy and sustainability.
Apoena Biotech hopes to capture the Brazilian market, as well as the other major Latin American markets, after which it will be aiming to take the business completely international by aiming to supply the portfolio in North America, European and Asia Pacific markets.
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