Checking the texture of upcycled and clean-label cosmetics

Spreadability test on the TA.XTplusC Texture Analyser

In 2022, we are expected to see a big worldwide trend: sustainability - with cosmetic and ingredient companies pledging to use more plant-based/natural ingredients. For the benefit of themselves and the environment, consumers have begun to regard sustainability as a standard moral and ethical need. The growing demand for more sustainable products, as well as the renewable features of natural raw materials, are a perfect match to bring ‘circular’ beauty on our shelves. Circular beauty involves the concept of upcycling to make use of left-over or discarded ingredients.

What is “upcycling”?

Upcycling (creative re-use) is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, or unwanted products into new materials without destroying them with the goal of forming a different product. Food and beverage waste represent the main source of materials that can be upcycled into natural and organic cosmetics since these often contain food-grade ingredients that have rich properties for the skin.

Seeds, peels, flowers and fruit are frequently rejected by the food sector. For skin and hair care, commodity components such as vegetable oils (e.g. palm kernel oil), butters, coffee, cacao beans and tea waste, are more widely used, or extracts such as citrus peel for pectin or preservative are obtained for inclusion in a formula. Dried fruit seeds discarded from the juice and jam industries can be cold pressed and transformed into precious essential oils. Even extracts of grapes waste from wine production can be used for pigmentation in natural hair dye and colour products.

Upcycling reduces the consumption of virgin raw materials and, as a result, is a comparably energy-efficient route to product creation whilst reducing the waste stream, air pollution, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Upcycling ingredients for cosmetic products

The hot trend on the innovation agenda is gaining impetus as the coronavirus pandemic has shaken up supply chains for cosmetic ingredients. Adoption rates are expected to rise as the cosmetics industry moves towards regional supply chains for its raw materials, as well as develop products for a circular economy.

Food side streams, or food by-products, are not completely new and are already established as a source of natural ingredients but there is now greater demand for such raw materials because of growing consumer demand for natural and organic personal care products. Partnerships between food producers and cosmetic companies are becoming more and more common as a joint effort to reincorporate materials with precious active ingredients for the skin in the production loop.

Cosmetic brands are creating dedicated lines based on upcycled ingredients. The Taiwanese company Hair O’ Right is a pioneer; it introduced natural hair care products made from spent coffee grounds in 2006. It is now creating products using other upcycled ingredients, such as goji berry roots and distiller grains. Full Circle in the UK is a team of mission-driven ingredients makers specialising in plant-based leftovers to create natural and sustainable cosmetic ingredients. As cosmetic companies re-formulate their products using ingredients from waste streams there will be textural and sensory challenges to overcome with use and/or substitution of ingredients. Here are recent research examples using the Texture Analyser for upcycled cosmetic products:

The Impact of Titanium Dioxide Type Combined with Coffee Oil Obtained from Coffee Industry Waste on Sunscreen Product Performance

Perlis Sunshine Mango Seed Flour Body Scrub: Product Development for Physical and Sensory Properties

Designing clean-label cosmetic products

The rise of the modern informed consumer has also led to the emergence of clean beauty which is based on a fundamental concept that what we apply on our body has a deep impact on our overall health and wellbeing. This has led to a number of pioneering clean-label holistic wellness brands with plant-based skincare and hair-care formulations created using scientific botanical concepts and devoid of harmful chemicals and ingredients.

Cosmetic formulators are uncompromising in their efforts to offer product compositions that are free from harmful agents such as parabens, sulphates, phthalates, PEGs, ethanolamines, chemical sunscreens, synthetic fragrances, BHT, and BHA. In the process of reformulation however the removal of ingredients will have a knock on effect on the texture and again formulators will need to use texture analysis to compare their ‘simplified’ formula with the textural expectations of products that consumers already like and have become familiar with. Here is a research example using the Texture Analyser for the development of clean-label products that looks into this issue:

Measurements meet perceptions: rheology-texture-sensory relations when using green, bio‐derived emollients in cosmetic emulsions

Not forgetting the feel-good factor

After 2 years of health crisis related anxiety, many consumers will feel the need for an emotional reboot by taking more time for themselves and choosing cosmetic and personal care products that provide a highly sensorial experience, bring well-being and positive emotions. Such new luxury creations will require measurement of texture to ensure that the desired consumer’s sensory expectations are matched. Here you would be using the Texture Analyser to compare with previous formulations to check that your new offerings have textural benefits: creamier, easier to spread, smoother consistency. The value to cosmetic manufacturers of accurate and consistent objective measurement of the texture of different cosmetic products has been established for a long time. Now, more than ever, manufacturers are searching for up to date techniques to quantify their products’ attributes accurately and very quickly and develop technically superior products at a faster rate than their competitors. It’s time to get the texture right to stand out for these aspects and win customer hearts.

See a full list of applications, view videos, and learn more about the wide range of cosmetic textural properties that can be measured using a Texture Analyser.

There is a Texture Analysis test for virtually any physical property. Contact Stable Micro Systems today to learn more about our full range of solutions.

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For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.

The TA.XTplusC texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.

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