The push for cleaner formulations in beauty is strong in 2021 and that’s expected to continue for the foreseeable future, according to industry stakeholders. Cosmetic chemists will continue to be tasked with creating highly functional, aesthetically pleasing products that have shorter INCI lists and meet greater demands for sustainability.
 
To meet these demands, formulators need a robust toolkit—and that’s where innovative suppliers lead the charge with new materials that can please chemists, conservationists and consumers.
 
“Every industry needs a pioneer. And we at Symrise accepted the challenge to be that pioneer,” noted Dr. Jörn Andreas, president, Cosmetic Ingredients Division, Symrise, during an online event with editors on September 30. 
 
“Clean, sustainable beauty is part of our DNA. In cosmetics, we have been a trendsetter, a pioneer,” he insisted.
 
Dr. Andreas pointed to Symrise’s top grade of A in climate protection, water usage and forest conservation actions from non-profit organization CDP. Previously known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, CDP conducts a yearly assessment of what companies do to fight climate change, protect water supplies and conserve forests. 
 
He said that Symrise is the only one of 10 companies in the world to hold this status, and further, the company is the only cosmetic supplier at this level.
 
During the online event—“Modern Product Protection at the Crossroad Between Formulators’ and Consumers’ Expectations”—Symrise introduced Hydrolite 7green.
 
This new innovation is aligned with the company’s mission: inspiring science for beauty, well-being and future generations.
 
Preservative Pressures

Symrise tapped industry expert George Deckner as a keynote speaker for the event. He discussed changes in product protection, such as the industry’s switch away from formaldehye donors, and more recently, parabens. 
 
With a 40-year career in cosmetic science, Deckner insists there is more pressure on preservative systems than ever before.
 
Is there a solution?
 
“I love the concept of multifunctionality,” said Deckner, noting that products that offer multiple benefits fit well with the concept of clean beauty.
 
“It is important that formulators have the right tools,” Deckner noted.
 
Hydrolite 7 green from Symrise is new to the toolkit.
 
Hydrolite 7 green (1,2-Heptanediol) enhances antioxidants, reduces malodor, modulates sebum, stabilizes emulsions, solubilizes UV filters and enhances product protection. It offers great benefits at low concentrations and is particularly adapted for use in skin care, hair care, color cosmetics, sun care and oral care formulations with a pH between 3 and 12. 
 
It is the first 7-carbon 1,2-alkanediol ever launched for use in cosmetics, according to Symrise.  
 
The 7 carbon chain is “optimal for product protection” and is the “sweet spot in chain length,” said Dr. Balint Koroskenyi, global product manager product protection, at Symrise.
 
Hydrolite 7 green has both water solubility (and liquid form) of short chain alkanediols and good antimicrobial performance of longer chain alkanediols.
 
Dr. Koroskenyi called Hydrolite 7 green a “clear step ahead into the future” as it brings multiple benefits to formulators, consumers and the industry. 
 
“When we talk about multifunctional, it is not just about product protection, but what kind of benefit can it bring to the formula,” noted Yohanna Sander, who is director global product management product protection at Symrise. 
 

Particularly adapted for use in skin care, hair care, color cosmetics, sun care and oral care formulations with a pH between 3 and 12, Hydrolite 7 green:
• enhances product protection
• enhances antioxidants
• reduces malodor 
• helps modulate sebum
• stabilizes emulsions
• solubilizes UV filters
Further, Hydrolite 7 green is 100% bio-based and biodegradable and sustainably sourced.
 
According to Dr. Koroskenyi, Hydrolite 7 green is also microbiome friendly, based on analysis using methodology developed in house by Symrise CI R&D.
 
Sustainability 
 
Hydrolite 7 green is made from castor oil sidestreams that originate from bioplastic production, according to Symrise. The castor bean plant, the source of castor oil, has an exceptionally sustainable profile. It absorbs about 34.6 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare with two growing cycles per season, and perceptibly minimizes the environmental footprint thanks to low carbon emissions and low water demand. 
 
According to Dr. Koroskenyi, cultivating castor oil beans provides a viable income from land that is otherwise non-productive; it delivers lasting value to local communities. The upcycling reduces waste, and it maximizes sustainability along the entire supply chain.
 
Hydrolite 7 green has a natural origin index of 1.0 (ISO 16128-2), is a USDA Biobased registered product and is also EcoCert COSMOS approved. 
 
Preservation Leadership
 
Symrise has been advancing protection chemistry for decades. 
 
Since its introduction of Hydrolite 5 30 years ago, 1,2-alkanediols have been increasingly used in the personal care industry as multifunctional ingredients. As the green trend has been gaining momentum over the past several years, Symrise has pushed its expertise and expanded its solutions with technologies like nature-identical SymSave H in 2013; SymOcide C, which is based on the sidestreams of menthol synthesis (2016). In 2018 Symrise launched Hydrolite 5 green, which is made from bagasse, a by-product in sugar cane production. It also offers SymLite G8 and Crinipan PMC green, nature-derived innovations from RSPO palm kernel oil that were introduced in 2018 and 2019.

Symrise recently acquired Kobo Products.