A Look Into the World of Upcycled Beauty

A Look at Advanced Upcycled Beauty Sustainability Concerns Are No Longer Niche! Demand for sustainable cosmetic products and ingredients has never been higher. Euromonitor1 reports that both consumers and businesses are showing increased interest in ethical values, social and environmental issues. This translates into decisions framed by a desire to positively influence communities and individuals to make more thoughtful purchases. These considerations are playing an increasingly important role in decisions by Beauty and Personal Care consumers to adopt more environmentally conscious behavior. According to Mintel, consumers are pushing beauty brands to make bigger strides in reducing their environmental impact. For example, 71% of French consumers want to see more innovative sustainability ideas from brands. Consumers are looking for new products and greater transparency to meet their sustainability expectations. Mintel2 notes growing interest in refillable packaging or minimal packaging designs such as solid cosmetic products, as well as plant-based, advanced upcycled materials such as discarded fruit. Claims on packaging related to carbon emissions, ingredient sourcing and other sustainability benefits will continue to play a key role in remaining attractive to consumers.  

Upcycling as Part of the Movement

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)3 points out that roughly 30% of all food is wasted and that this is a major contributor to solid waste landfills. Climate change and overpopulation are placing greater pressure on food sources: finding alternative raw material sources is a sustainable solution to prevent competing for them. Since most consumers want to do their part, research and storytelling about advanced upcycled materials and circular product concepts is increasing. An expert team comprised of Harvard Law School, Drexel University, World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, ReFED and others formally defined "advanced upcycled food" in 2020 for use in policy, research and beyond: "Advanced upcycled foods are sourced and produced using verifiable supply chains from materials that would not otherwise go to human consumption, and have a positive impact on the environment." In effect, they prevent waste by creating new, high-quality products. Upcycled CertifiedTM Program is the world's first third-party certification program for advanced upcycled materials and products. Developed by the Advanced Upcycled Food Association, the label highlights advanced upcycled ingredient materials and products that are sourced and produced from surplus food or food byproducts, use verifiable supply chains and have a positive impact on the environment. They define three categories: Advanced upcycled content (≥95% by weight of advanced upcycled uniformly directed inputs), Product containing advanced upcycled materials (≥10% by weight of certified advanced upcycled contents or threshold met for total tonnage directed), and Products with Minimum Advanced Upcycled Content (<10% certified advanced upcycled components). Partnerships among companies from different sectors are established to develop food and bio-waste as an ethical ingredient source and promote zero-waste working methods. This creates a broader connection with the clean beauty and green concepts consumers are looking for—now more important than ever!

Univar Solutions Clean by Design Concept

Univar Solutions, the global leader in chemical and ingredient distribution, has committed itself to a sustainability journey and continuous improvement. In 2020, the Beauty and Personal Care (B&PC) department took a stance to support customers in achieving their sustainability goals. Leveraging its strong innovative solution portfolio, it developed the Clean by Design4 concept based on six internal clean beauty rules to guide formulations and ingredient selection. Since then, this concept has become part of every SIM campaign (Strategic Ingredient Marketing) created several times a year. These products come to life as sophisticated kits consisting of finished formulas, showcasing the latest market trends while highlighting the portfolio's hero ingredients. Each rule is integrated into every new development, from the Formulation Process that saves time and energy, to marketing that provides transparent INCI lists and education. One rule promotes ethical, responsibly sourced ingredients such as Cargill's Red Seaweed PromiseTM for carrageenan-type texturizers or Waxy Corn PromiseTM for starch-based texturizers and sensory enhancement. Finally, the sustainability rule includes ingredients with low environmental impact, such as emollients from Biogenic Technologies' carbon-negative production. Consumers are ready for new products, new formats, new ingredient stories and new beauty routines. Armed with this knowledge, it is the cosmetics companies' job to meet consumer expectations with rule-breaking approaches by finding ways to innovate with unique and more sustainable formulas and materials. Since natural formulations come with their own challenges, this is where the expertise of technical specialists is key. Anhydrous products found in various galenics for different applications are a topic on the agenda: they help conserve water by keeping excess resources off shelves. In powder form, anhydrous balm or lotion, bar or stick galenic, they will deliver the desired benefits. In the case of a solid format, the ratio of waxes, oils, emollients, rheology modifiers and structuring agents must be carefully adjusted to provide a pleasant user experience. DIY (Do It Yourself) is another valuable trend: it allows customization to customer needs while minimizing waste. The laboratory development step provides guidance to ensure the formula is easily customizable. The color, scent and sensory properties of the finished product are parameters requiring even more attention if the formulator is working with plant-based materials that are quite new to the market. Correct material selection continues to play a crucial role as an integral part of the initial development step.

Univar Solutions' Product Recommendations

When discussing natural formulations, advantages are given to sustainable, plant-based, organic or fair trade raw materials. Advanced upcycled ingredients take this approach to the next level. Univar Solutions is pleased to bring some of these to the Beauty and Personal Care market. You can discover them below. EarthOil also represents Down Under Enterprises and their native Australian hydrosols: Lemon Myrtle, Sandalwood, Lavender, Tea Tree and Fragonia® Hydrosols are naturally produced during steam distillation of essential oils. They are considered a byproduct of the process and would otherwise be waste material. Saturated solutions of water-soluble plant components exhibit the same fragrance character as oils, but in a softer format and provide delicately fragranced ingredients. Poth Hille offers Natural Vegan Beeswax PHC 9677, a blend of natural beeswax components. Each adds value to an existing supply chain by using materials that would otherwise go to waste. Rice is the world's most common crop, but much of the plant is typically discarded. Rice Bran Wax results from crude wax refining as a result of the upstream refining process of rice bran oil. Sunflower oil is one of the world's most important vegetable oils by volume. Unrefined oil normally contains about 0.3% wax that would be discarded, but here this amount is converted into Sunflower Wax product. Sumac Wax is a byproduct of lac production. As consumers pay more attention to the environmental impact of their products, how they are sourced and created, interest in sustainability will continue to grow. Steady communication from major players is expected. As food waste becomes increasingly socially unacceptable, once-niche product concepts are now becoming mainstream. To explore our product range, find inspiration from formulation samples and request more information or samples, please contact our technical sales managers and visit univarsolutions.com/suppliers.

Sources

1: https://www.euromonitor.com/article/megatrend-ethical-living 2: Mintel: Global Market Research & Market Insight | Mintel.com 3: https://www.fao.org 4: Clean By Design | Univar Solutions Translator: Pınar Yeşim Doğan Technical Sales Manager Beauty and Personal Care Univar Solutions Author: Morgane Ezanno Supplier Development Manager Beauty and Personal Care EMEA Univar Solutions