Most of the conventional skin-care cosmetics are composed of petroleum or mineral oil-derived ingredients, some of which are harmful and non-biodegradable. To achieve a circular economy while meeting customer demand for green cosmetics and addressing environmental concerns, attention has been shifted from fossil ingredients to biobased ingredients. Biocosmetics are those products for skin care made from natural ingredients including plants, animals, microbes, enzymes, insects, and organic crops, etc. It was predicted that the global bio-based products in cosmetics market should more than $10.5 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.1% during the forecast period of 2022-2027.
There are many categories of cosmetic products, top 10 of them are listed as followings:
In view of the toxicity of fossil-based ingredients, along with several other factors such as environment, sustainability, cost, effectiveness, the transition from conventional to bio-based cosmetics is imperative. A range of biobased compounds, like bio-surfactants, vitamins, pigments, enzymes, and peptides have been widely used as ingredients in biocosmetics.
Biosurfactants are a special promising class of natural surfactants that are produced by natural renewable resources by biotechnological means. They are generally classified into glycolipids, lipopeptides, phospholipids, fatty acids and polymeric compounds. For example, sophorolipids possess emulsifying, foaming, wetting and high deterging properties and low-foaming ability; lipopeptides can greatly lower the surface tension of water in cosmetics; phospholipids are used, technically as surface-active compounds, but also as cosmetic actives and modulator of skin penetration.
Vitamins, commonly derived from natural products, are a group of substances that are needed for normal cell function, growth, and development. It is commonly believed that the use of vitamins in cosmetics can better protect and possibly correct the damage by neutralizing these free radicals. Besides, some vitamins may be beneficial to the skin. For instance, they can suppress pigmentation and bruising, stimulate collagen production, improve keratinization, or be anti-inflammatory.
Biobased pigments refer to colorants derived from plants, invertebrates and those dyes and pigments produced by biological methods. They are projected to be a fast-growing type segments of the cosmetic dyes. The commonly used dyes are annatto, beta-carotene, caramel, carmine, chlorophyllin Cu complex, guaiazulene, henna and guanine, etc.
Enzymes are substances that act as catalysts to regulate the rate at which chemical reactions proceed without itself being altered in the process. Recently, enzymes have been of great interest in the production of cosmetics, as the following abilities: i) making skin smooth, ii) preventing acne, skin aging, and pigmentation, iii) exfoliation of the skin, iv) prevention of free radicals which damage the skin and body, v) maintaining firm skin, and vi) for their antibacterial properties.
Peptides are molecules formed by the condensation of a small number of amino acids, and they are often obtained from the breakdown of proteins. Peptides are becoming more and more important for the functions to reduce premature skin aging, improve the barrier function of skin, moisturize the skin, protect it from UV damage, and anti-inflammatory properties that alleviate acne and irritation.
Alfa Chemistry is a professional supplier of biobased products for cosmetics. For high quality products, professional technical service, use suggestion and latest industry news, please feel free to contact us.
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