Much of the conversation around environmental sustainability in the beauty industry just now is about post-consumer packaging waste; but there is next wave of concern mounting: post-consumer product waste. With packaging the answers seem to involve a mix of recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable packaging. Of those, only biodegradability seems to be a feasible way of managing post-consumer product waste.
Selling point
As any given product attribute becomes a lucrative point of differentiation in the consumer marketplace, the attribute also becomes a point of importance in ingredient marketing.
Which is perhaps why personal care ingredient suppliers like Covestro are including biodegradable film formers among the ingredients on display at their booth (#701) at Suppliers’ Day next week. Similarly, Ashland (booth #1225) will be showing it’s Styleze es-1 polymer for hair styling applications at Suppliers’ Day. That ingredient has received biodegradable validation from COSMOS.
And Alzo International will be showing, among other ingredients, its Dermol SLLC-L, which is described on the NYSCC Supplers’ Day event site blurb about Alzo: “Sodium Lauroyl Lactyalte is an unique easy to use liquid form providing long-lasting foam properties, has antimicrobial activity and is readily biodegradable, Dermol SLLC-L is now COSMOS/Ecocert approved.”
Other companies showing biodegradable beauty ingredients next week include: AIC (booth #1211), Aldivia (booth #1043), Chattem Chemicals (booth #1102), Desert King International (booth #718), J Rettenmaier (booth #202), Micro Powders (booth #118), and Oleon (booth #1261), well as Floratech and Medowbrook Glitter.
Scrubs and sparkles
Floratech (booth #818) will be exhibiting at Suppliers’ Day next week, showcasing its portfolio of beads, waxes, creams, pastes, liquids, and emulsifiers. The 50+ year old company based in Chandler, Arizona, prides itself on being “the world's first supplier of biodegradable, natural wax exfoliating beads,” as noted on its about page; and today, “Floratech offers a variety of biodegradable options for microplastic free exfoliation products.”
At booth #207, Meadowbrook Glitter will be showing several glitters, including its water-soluble, biodegradable glitter. The glitter (which is used not only in makeup formulations but also in the toy industry, in paper production, decorative crafts, etc.) is not a new ingredient for Meadowbrook.
According to the company site, “the first precision-cut Glitter was manufactured by Meadowbrook generations ago by cutting and clarifying biodegradable cellulose, replacing shards of decorative glass as the sparkle industry standard….Now, with the popularity of biodegradability in growing demand, Meadowbrook is back where it all began, a worldwide leader in sustainable, biodegradable and water soluble Glitter products.”
---
Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.