Evonik opens plant to manufacture sustainable emollients
German cosmetics ingredients manufacturer Evonik has opened new plant to manufacture sustainable emollients at its site in Steinau.
The business said this was to meet high customer demand for eco-friendly beauty and personal care products, reduce its climate footprint for the manufacture of esters, and grow its biosolutions portfolio – for the cosmetics formulations of the future.
These esters will be manufactured using an enzymatic process and Evonik said it would “significantly increase” its production capacity of sustainable cosmetic emollients to meet rapidly growing customer demand.
The business uses its biotechnology platform to produce emollients via enzymatic esterification. It noted that this move would help boost the biosolutions portfolio of its Nutrition & Care division, while enabling the cosmetics industry to “create solutions with a superior sustainability profile.”
Emollients need “robust sustainability profile”
“Emollients are no longer just about performance, they also need to have a robust sustainability profile,” explained Evonik’s president for Nutrition & Care, Johann-Caspar Gammelin.
“This investment helps us lower our footprint, while supporting the beauty industry in its transformation – meeting the demand for more responsible, eco-friendly solutions,” he explained.
Emollients are cosmetic oils and waxes that make up around 10 – 25% of cosmetic emulsions, however, these currently account for 70 - 80 % of a cosmetic product’s climate footprint.
Evonik said that switching from a chemical to an enzymatic esterification process when manufacturing emollients could reduce the climate footprint by more than 60%.
The company also highlighted that these production sites are exclusively powered by renewable energy.
