Locus Performance Ingredients and Genomatica introduce sustainable, natural cleanser featuring Ferma® S sophorolipids and Brontide® natural butylene glycol
SOLON, Ohio (September 9, 2021) Locus Performance Ingredients® (Locus PI) and Genomatica have joined forces with Freelance Formulations to develop clean-label micellar water that eliminates chemical additives and outperforms the current leading brand. The next-generation micellar water replaces controversial legacy ingredients with plant-derived ingredients that provide all the traditional micellar water benefits, but with superior functionality and sustainability. Namely, the formulation features novel Ferma® S sophorolipids (INCI name: glycolipids) and Brontide® natural butylene glycol.
Ferma S is a line of sophorolipids from the glycolipid class of biosurfactants first discovered in honey and wildflowers.
Ferma S is a line of sophorolipids from the glycolipid class of biosurfactants first discovered in honey and wildflowers. It has been perfected by Locus Performance Ingredients for use as a replacement for surfactants such as ethoxylates, which can contain harmful residual chemicals. Ferma S sophorolipids are sustainably produced in the USA with a near-zero carbon footprint.
Brontide is a plant-based alternative to petroleum-based butylene glycol, which has skin irritation challenges. It is manufactured in Europe by Genomatica.
Both of the high-purity, non-GMO ingredients are naturally sourced from renewable raw materials.
The new micellar water helps CPG companies pursue their quest to supply sustainable beauty products to a growing population of more mindful, conscious shoppers. The formulation provides strong, yet gentle cleansing with no sulfates, amine or citric acids, and does not require additional milding agents—resulting in a cleaner, simpler label.
“The micellar water formulation is designed to maximize performance and efficiency while minimizing health hazards and environmental impact,” said Dr. Lee Speight, VP of products and technology at Locus PI.
Superior Performance
Testing across key cosmetic categories confirms the new micellar water formulation has superior performance for makeup removal compared to leading industry products. In a five-swipe cotton test, the next-generation micellar water cleanser outperformed a leading brand by 12-25% when removing beauty products such as foundation, concealer, eyeliner and mascara.
The Payoff
Euromonitor projects the global skin care market to reach $181 billion by 2025. And according to recent Nielsen research, today’s beauty consumer increasingly advocates for products to remove chemicals and ingredients viewed as bad for the environment or for their own health and well-being. One survey of more than 24,000 women worldwide revealed that two-thirds of female buyers of clean beauty products want more transparent labeling. CPG companies benefit from the creation of a sustainable, gentle skin cleanser that utilizes natural ingredients and processes while realizing improved product performance.
“Ingredients in products that consumers put on their face daily, such as micellar water, should be gentle, simple and safe. This formulation utilizes Ferma® S sophorolipids to supply better cleansing benefits than surfactants at lower usage rates and create a consumer-facing label any company can be proud to display,” Dr. Speight said.
Other features of the micellar water that aid the CPG quest for cleaner formulations include no petrochemicals or trace toxins (1,4-Dioxane, Formaldehyde or Ethylene oxide) and no palm oil—eliminating deforestation concerns for palm-based ingredients. The sustainable micellar water is also fully biodegradable, minimizing aquatic toxicity.
Locus Performance Ingredients offers sample formulations for a variety of beauty products using naturally derived sophorolipid biosurfactants. Find out how to create a high-performance, sustainable and clean-label micellar water cleanser or other product at LocusPI.com.
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About Locus Performance Ingredients®
Locus Performance Ingredients® (Locus PI) is an award-winning green tech company dedicated to developing environmentally friendly biosurfactant solutions that replace legacy surfactants and eliminate regulatory challenges in CPG formulations. Using advanced fermentation technology with a near-zero carbon footprint, the team creates performance-driven, sustainable ingredients that are USDA certified as 100% biobased, GMO-free, with no palm oil, Proposition 65, EO, formaldehyde or other trace chemicals. Each ingredient is tailored for use in a multitude of personal care, household and industrial applications, with lower usage rates, better performance and a net-zero carbon footprint. Locus PI gets its core scientific capabilities from its parent company, Locus Fermentation Solutions (Locus FS), an Ohio-based, globally recognized biosurfactant company. For more information, visit LocusPI.com.