The manufacturers of cosmetics products, as well as their suppliers, are focussing more and more on the sustainable production of natural products, and on bringing them to market. An increasing number of manufacturers of traditional cosmetics products are seeking truly effective natural alternatives to replace conventional ingredients. But it is not always an easy task.
In hair care it is often extremely difficult to find new options. Erik Schulze zur Wiesche, head of basic research into hair care and hair cleansing at Henkel, comments: "In line with the spirit of the times products are generally becoming 'greener'. However, although today product performance is a key consideration there are, in the field of hair care, almost no effective natural alternatives. Yet here sustainability is being given much greater attention. Sustainability is a very important criterion when selecting our ingredients. Using natural oils, such as argan oil in combination with shea butter, a very nice hair care performance can be achieved. Nevertheless it seems unlikely that in the next five years traditional ingredients will be replaced by similarly effective alternatives, especially in conditioners".
In the field of end products, so-called "eco labels" are springing up like mushrooms, and contributing in no small way to confusion amongst consumers. However, amongst the launches of new ingredients the Eco-Cert label is dominant. Furthermore there are at the moment more and more products being launched that are manufactured using environmentally-friendly methods, and which, for example, allow the end product to be cold processed, so eliminating energy-intensive processes.
Of interest to the formulator are also practical guides that show exactly which ingredients are most suitable for which types of natural cosmetics labelling systems. The Green Skincare Formulation Set from Cognis contains basic formulations for manufacturers who want to launch products that are more natural. This set is based on the Green Chemical Solutions (GCS) classification system developed by Cognis and shows exactly how green the company's ingredients are. The Green Formulation Grid overview shows which formulations can be classified as green whilst also showing the degree of "naturalness" of the ingredients in the form of a matrix, as well as the product's performance. The Green Formulary from Croda clearly shows the formulator which ingredients can be used to formulate which types of product.
But soon just being "green" and natural will not be enough. Trends such as sustainability, social responsibility, biodiversity and fair trade are taking things a step further with their requirements, and are precisely in tune with a growing group of modern consumers who feel that they should be committed to a LOHAS lifestyle (LOHAS = Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability). Ingredients are already being developed that are tailored to the requirements of this important group of consumers.The trend towards ever greener products is not a one-day wonder. We can expect to see numerous exciting new developments appear on the market in the future.