Biodegradable cosmetic products: How easy are they to make?

By Julia Wray | Published: 23-Aug-2022

Greater emphasis is being put on the impact rinse-off goods especially have on the environment once they’re washed down our drains. But how easy is it to formulate or reformulate a product to be biodegradable?

Biodegradable plastics and the biodegradability of packaging in general has long been discussed among the cosmetics community, and not always without contention. However, the status of the goop in the bottle is equally important, with growing numbers of brands taking to the lab to ensure their formulations break down harmlessly in the environment in a short enough time frame.

“Biodegradability has become increasingly important for our customers in recent years,” says Dr Rebecca Stiles, BASF’s Head of Sustainability, Personal Care, EMEA. “For example, it represents a key requirement for finished formulations to be awarded with ecolabels for environmental excellence, such as the EU Ecolabel or Nordic Swan.”

But how exactly do we define a biodegradable formula, and why does it matter?

Not yet a Subscriber?

This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Cosmetics Business.

Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.