Source: Beauty Matter
Author: Carla Siepp
The new year brings new resolutions, new ambitions, and new ingredients. Upcycled materials have informed a key pillar of the industry’s sustainability endeavors over the last few years.
Lignopure, an innovative german company
Hamburg-based ingredient manufacturer Lignopure is bringing in its own contender: LignoBase, powered by lignin-focused technology. Lignin is a polyphenolic compound which can be found in the cell walls of vegetation and is a byproduct of pulp manufacturing. “Sadly, just over 90% of this precious material is disposed of. However, thanks to Lignopure’s patented particle technology and expertise, we can upcycle this amazing natural material that would otherwise remain unutilized on a commercial scale for the beauty industry,” comments Gabriela Meza Armenta, Marketing and Business Development Manager of Lignopure. The end product is available in three different shades of brown, which can be added to SPF-containing CC and BB creams, mascaras, and brow gels, as well as functional cream formulas.
The entrepreneurial journey of LignoBase began when co-founder Joana Gil discovered the material’s potential while working on her PhD at Hamburg University of Technology. She founded the company in 2018 with Wienke Reynolds and Daniela Arango—Gil specializing in technology and core science, Reynolds in scaling the technology, and Arango in business concept development.
LignoBase, a sustainable multifunctional cosmetic ingredient line
LignoBase has antioxidant, UV protectant, stabilizing, antimicrobial, and natural colorant properties. Juliana Carrizosa, Product Innovation at Lignopure, notes that “its inherent polyphenolic structure makes it a free radical scavenger that protects both the cosmetic formulations and the skin from damaging oxidative processes. Accordingly, LignoBase has been shown to boost the antioxidant activity of an oil-in-water cream by up to 30 times compared to the control.” Furthermore, the natural tones of the powders mean formulas can be simplified without or with a reduced amount of iron oxides. The material can absorb its quintuple weight equivalent in oil when combined with other biopolymers, making it an ideal partner for matte formulations.
As the structure of lignin differs from plant to plant, Lignopure is also ensuring the optimal source for its hero ingredient to enable “a perfect combination of great organoleptic and performance properties together with clean, ethical, and traceable sources.” Roughly 85% of respondents in an MDPI survey strongly agreed that ingredient origin and sustainable production were important to them, and about 70% were concerned with the environmental impact of synthetic ingredients. For this reason, Lignopure sees immense potential for its popularity.
Source and complete article:
https://beautymatter.com/articles/lignopure-brings-new-upcycled-ingredient-to-market