7 sustainable ingredients disrupting cosmetics formulations

Kaffe Bueno: upcycled ingredients from coffee ​

In late 2023, Kaffe Bueno opened the world’s first coffee biorefinery in Copenhagen. Here it breaks down coffee compounds to make ingredients for personal care (and other industries, too).

“It's all in green chemistry, biotechnology and nanotechnology,” explained Alejandro Franco, cofounder of the coffee-based ingredients company. 

“We’ve had two ingredients on the market for the last couple of years, but this year we launched three more, which are basically from after the oil has been extracted and we’re left with the coffee grounds” he explained.  

“Then we ‘double upcycle it’ by turning the by-product of the oil production into a product too. We also use it to continue making new ingredients,” he continued.  

The company starts off with the coffee grounds, extract the oils and from this and produces a range of bio-based surfactants that are a natural alternative to SLS. 

After the oil is extracted, we're left with the grounds here up top,” shared Franco. “That's what we call ‘a fibre’. But then it's also the raw material for farther downstream processes and that yields more products or more ingredients.” 

BioPowder high-grade fruit stone powders and bio-based abrasives from food processing streams ​

BioPowder is a producer and supplier of high-grade fruit stone powders and bio-based abrasives, which are derived from food processing streams. The company said it's "establishing new sustainability standards by replacing abrasive micro-beads and liquid plastics with fruit stone powders." 

According to founder Kathrin Schilling, fully natural ingredients without synthetic components are gaining even more traction and naturality and a minimal environmental footprint should be top of the agenda. “This is best achieved when by-products, not crops, are used as raw materials,” she stated. 

“The market is looking for by-product derived ingredients that are sourced locally and processed with minimal resources,” Schilling continued. 

“Prominent examples are side streams from food processing (e. fruit kernels, shells and peels), algae, grains, wine pomace, olive skin,” she explained. “Less is more: the fewer ingredients, the better. Consumers look for personal care products without complicated INCI lists on the packaging.” 

According to Schilling, DIY cosmetics are on the rise; with consumers mixing their own products at home using natural ingredients such as oils and fruits.  

“Ingredient manufacturers are responding to this trend by using retail outlets such as online shops to sell fragrances, exfoliants, pigments, oils, and others,” she explained.  

Schilling also pointed out that not all bio-based additives are sustainable. “This is particularly true for highly processed plant products, crops and imports from other continents,” she said.  

“Ingredients from upcycling processes generally have a better carbon and environmental footprint than processed crops and consumers are increasingly aware of sustainability aspects and make their buying decisions accordingly; the story behind a product is generally more important than look, packaging or price. Plus, are also more aware of potential allergens, endocrine disruptors and other unsafe substances,” she concluded.  

Laboratoires Expanscience: natural, eco-designed ingredients ​

French company Laboratoires Expanscience has long been a visionary in its production of natural, eco-designed ingredients.  

Its latest ingredient GAÏALINE® is a flaxseed-based active that is created using a completely wild-grown flaxseed crops and the company works with a local partner that’s committed to conservative agriculture. The crops grow wild: with no tilling, no soil disruption, no soil disturbance, and it also promotes crop rotation.  

Along with being more eco-friendly, the ingredients are highly efficacious. Numerous in-vitro and ex-vivo studies demonstrate that the ingredient protects key markers of the epidermis, the dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) and the dermis. The active also "ensures the integrity of the stratum corneum" by boosting ceramides, keratin 14 and collagen 17.

Cellugy: high-performance dry cellulose could replace fossil-fuel based materials​

Danish biotech startup has created a fermentation platform that produces a high-performance dry cellulose and claims that it could replace fossil-fuel based materials in cosmetic formulations. It has also recently raised €4.9m in seed​ funding to scale up production of its hero ingredient to industrial volumes. 

Dr Isabel Alvarez-Martos, who is CEO and co-founder of Cellugy, explained more. “We are a biotechnology company that harnesses the power of biology to offer advanced cellulose solutions through fermentation, offering natural, biobased, and biodegradable ingredients for everyday products,” she said.  

“We've developed technology to produce cellulose that’s similar to what is found in nature, but with better quality and performance.”  

“We have developed a breakthrough technology that for the first time allows bio-fabricated cellulose to be produced in easy to redisperse powder while keeping its original performance – bypassing one of the biggest challenges that hindered biofabricated cellulose from widespread adoption,” said Alvarez-Martos.  

The EcoFlexy ingredients family is readily biodegradable, free from volatile organic substances, vegan, non-GMO, cruelty-free, and completely fossil-free. It is sustainably manufactured using green chemistry, with no chemical modification to the cellulose fibre. 

EcoFlexy RP is the company’s cellulose-based rheology modifier, which is made from fermentation-derived cellulose that allows cosmetics brands and formulators to either replace commonly used rheology modifiers with a performing and sustainable ingredient, or boost their innovations with next-generation ingredients. 

This biofabricated cellulose is derived from a sustainable fermentation process using sugar. Its unique rheological properties allow it to excel at thickening and stabilising even the most challenging formulations. 

It can be used in a wide range of personal care products, including skin care, rinse-offs formulas, hair care, and sun care. Thanks to its crystalline structure, it boasts exceptional stability across varying temperatures, pH levels, and ionic strength.  

The company said it also has a strong 3D network, which ensures it effortlessly stabilises particles like waxes, clays, or pigments, and suspends actives such as micelles and liposomes. It is also stable in water and in formulas, which ensures a consistent and high-quality product. 

Innomost: creates sustainable ingredients using forest industry side streams​

According to founder and CEO, Sami Selkälä, Innomost is developing, producing, and selling ingredients to the cosmetic industry that are upcycled from the side streams of the Finnish forest industry, such as birch bark.

The Finnish startup's most recent launch is Betuinno Betulin – a sustainable and biodegradable new ingredient that offers a potential alternative to synthetic white pigments, such as titanium dioxide, and also has multifunctional benefits in cosmetics formulations.

“Our ingredients are suitable for replacing raw materials that are harmful to the environment. Our 100%-bio-based and biodegradable ingredients offer wide range of opportunities for sustainable formulations in all major cosmetics categories,” explained Selkälä.

For example, Barkinno Birch Bark Powder is skin-friendly exfoliator and absorbent in different formulations, while its newest launch Betuinno Betulin has multiple benefits, such as protection and skin regenerating properties, and functions also as a sustainable white pigment or a sensorial and textural ingredient.

The Upcycled Beauty Company: working with upcycled spent grain leftover  ​

The concept of upcycling strives to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Within the context of the beauty and personal care industry, upcycling refers to the process of transforming waste materials from various sources into valuable ingredients for cosmetic products. 

The Upcycled Beauty Company works with spent grain leftover in its Barley Tonic, turning it into an active ingredient to rebalance irritated skin.  

The UK-based company works in partnership with a local brewery and also collaborates with a similar business in Quebec, Canada.  

Lignopure: lignin-based ingredients to address multiple needs​

Sustainable ingredients company Lignopure, recently raised €2.4m in equity capital to expand the business.  

The green ingredients company sustainably converts and uses lignin, a natural polymer found in plants, as a bio-based raw material and alternative to fossil chemicals such as microplastics. 

“For many years, research has pointed to lignin as a material with amazing properties, but due to its sturdy nature it was relegated as a by-product or waste from the ethanol and the pulp and carton industry,” said Lignopure’s Gabriela Meza Armenta. 

Our ingredient, LignoBase tackles multiple needs of personal care consumers. From its natural, safe and sustainable aspects to oil-control, to antioxidant protection for the skin, formulation and SPF optimisation and skin evening thanks to its natural colour, it's the ultimate skincare powerhouse.  

We're not just introducing a new ingredient; we're challenging the status quo. By replacing harmful chemicals and reducing or replacing fossil-based harmful ingredients, our lignin-based solution is a beacon of hope for a more circular future.  

It’s an upcycled ingredient line that uses the natural protective power of lignin, which has an antioxidant capacity that can safeguard the skin and the formulation from oxidative stress – extending product shelf life and preserving efficacy. It can also promote better skin due to its anti-ageing, antioxidant capacities.   

The powder-format product comes in a variety of natural brown colours, so there’s no need for synthetic pigments, as it offers a palette of hues that harmonise with the skin's undertones.   

Each ingredient has a different plant of origin, which gives each one a distinctive undertone, perfect for different skin tones, as well as for different colour or tinted applications like blushes, concealers, hair care, makeup, and BB creams.   

It also has oil-absorption properties to give cosmetics a natural mattifying effect, providing a balanced and refined finish to multiple products. 

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