Sustainable cosmetics from natural sources

The customers for beauty products recognise the need for their products to sustainable. They would like the products to be based on sustainable natural materials. They however will not compromise on the performance and sensory properties of the products. Manufacturers must deliver these customer needs. Cosmetics products contain sustainably derived active compounds. However the emulsifiers, rheology modifiers, and sensory modifiers are only from petroleum and silicone sources. Natural materials have not been proved to deliver the customers’ needs for performance and sensory. Natural materials have seasonal variability and are difficult to process making them less attractive to the manufacturer. The aim of this feasibility research is to fill this gap, to build base technology systems that can be taken forward in future research, deliver natural sustainable products that fulfil the customers’ needs and a meet manufacturing needs. The project will use a range of natural materials from UK companies and will carry out a systematic formulation and evaluation exercise that will assess emulsion efficacy and stability, sensory and sustainability impact of natural systems.