The green trend continues to gain momentum and increasingly consumers base
purchasing decisions on perceived health and environmental benefits. This is
particularly true in the cosmetic and personal care space where the number of
products carrying green claims is on the rise.
The Problem
One key class of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products is
surfactants. Used to create emulsions and microemulsions, surfactants help the
water and “oil" components to hold together in stable formulations.
There’s clearly a desire to replace conventional surfactants with
naturally derived, sustainably sourced or biodegradable alternatives but for the
cosmetic scientist the challenge of making this switch in practic...