Regarded as the future of cosmetics, biotechnology harnesses the fermentation capabilities of micro-organisms to develop solutions in the fields of cosmetics, as well as medicine and the environment.

The aim of these biotechnologies is to use fewer resources by utilising living micro-organisms or biological systems. These living organisms – bacteria, fungi, yeasts or microalgae – are fed a mix of nutrients. In return, they produce and convert these nutrients into useful products, such as dermocosmetic active ingredients.

Alongside our plant-based ingredients – such as plant oils, hydrosols and plant powders – our formulas are highly concentrated in dermocosmetic active ingredients.

We carefully select these active ingredients for their proven efficacy, their safety for human health and their excellent skin tolerance. We prioritise active ingredients that are 100 per cent of natural origin, derived from non- polluting biotechnologies.

Green chemistry aims to limit the use of compounds known to be toxic to humans and the environment, while avoiding the waste of raw materials and resources. It involves carrying out chemical processes without petroleum, using renewable raw materials. Green chemistry utilises all the molecules in the raw material in order to generate as little waste as possible.

This key principle, known as ‘atom economy’, is one of the 12 principles of green chemistry, published in the late 1990s and highlighted by two American chemists, Paul Anastas and John C. Warner. These principles also include minimising energy consumption, reducing the number of derivatives to limit waste production, developing real-time analytical methods to prevent pollution, and advancing safer and less hazardous fundamental chemistry.

One of the objectives of green chemistry is to reduce or eliminate the use of solvents and reagents that are dangerous, toxic or harmful to the environment.

Green chemistry bans petrochemical-derived solvents which have a harmful impact on human health and the environment (benzene, trichloroethylene, dichloromethane, hexane, etc.). It also limits the use of water-based solvents. Water is a raw material that must be conserved as much as possible, given that it is already scarce and is likely to become even scarcer in the near future.

At Aroma-Zone, we have been using ingredients derived from green chemistry for ‘as long as we can remember’, as Pascale Ruberti, Director of Innovation & Products, explains. The emulsifiers, surfactants and emollients in our formulations are sourced exclusively from green chemistry processes.

In fact, we have chosen to adhere to the COSMOS standard, which was developed and implemented to promote environmental protection. The COSMOS standard permits only green chemistry processes and prohibits other petrochemical-based processes due to their harmful impact on the environment and/or the presence of non-biodegradable active ingredients.

Several of our plant-based emulsifiers are produced by an esterification reaction between plant-derived fatty acids and plant-derived glycerine or plant-derived fatty alcohols. For example, Glyceryl stearate is an ester of stearic acid and glycerol (vegetable glycerine). The cetearyl olivate in Olivem 1000 is obtained by esterification between cetearyl alcohol (derived from vegetable oils) and the fatty acids from olive oil. These processes, which are approved by the COSMOS standard, are based on plant-derived raw materials and use only simple reactions (hydrolysis, esterification, etc.) that do not require petrochemical reagents.

Emollients, such as Coco-caprylate (Coco silicone) or Dicaprylyl carbonate, are obtained through esterification reactions on plant-based substrates (fatty acids and fatty alcohols).

An innovative approach linked to green chemistry, eco-extraction enables bioactive compounds to be extracted from plant-based raw materials without the use of harmful solvents, while optimising energy consumption and reducing waste. Eco-extraction methods also maximise the quality of the extracts obtained, yielding extracts of greater purity, with a higher concentration of active ingredients and optimal preservation of their biochemical properties.

Eco-extraction uses alternative solvents such as supercritical carbon dioxide (supercritical CO₂), a process we have been using for many years at Aroma-Zone for all our CO₂ extracts as well as for other active ingredients.

In our 10% Vitamin C & Astaxanthin Concentrated Serum, we use an extract of astaxanthin, a type of algae with unrivalled antioxidant properties. Astaxanthin is extracted from the algae using supercritical CO₂ extraction, which is environmentally friendly, uses no chemical solvents and yields an active ingredient of very high purity. The CO₂ used comes from 100% biogenic sources and is fully recycled within the process.

The extracts of Spilanthes and Astragalus in our Spilanthes “Botox-effect” plant-based concentrated serum are obtained using a patented oily eco-extraction technology that extracts spilanthol from Spilanthes acmella as well as flavonoids and saponins from Astragalus. The butterfly lavender extract in this serum, rich in fenchone, is obtained via supercritical CO₂ extraction.

Our cosmetic active ingredient for the eye contour, found in the Concentrated Eye Contour Serum 5% Caffeine & Helichrysum is extracted from Zingiber zerumbet using supercritical CO₂ extraction and formulated with a biotechnology-derived (fermented) butylene glycol carrier.

Green chemistry is reinventing all the chemical processes we use in our daily lives and offers prospects for the future. Researchers in this field are discussing the potential for using green chemistry in the cities of tomorrow – in processes to produce drinking water, treat waste for recycling, generate energy and produce medicines...