Recent years have seen the substantial spread of a collective awareness regarding environmental issues: now more than ever, the urgency of integrating into everyday choices that represent a concrete help towards the Planet is evident.
This change has been made evident in the cosmetics sector by the birth of a more aware consumer, who includes environmental sustainability among the criteria that guide his purchasing choices.
Research by sustainability agency Futerra found that 88% of consumers want brands to do more to help them make a difference.
The recent global pandemic also has further strengthened this trend. In the three months from April to July 2020, a survey by the environmental organization Hubbub found that 1 in 7 people have changed brands or cosmetic products to make a choice that respects the environment more.
Significant for the cosmetics sector is the issue of water saving. Water is the most commonly used ingredient in beauty products, accounting for about 70% of most formulations. In addition, it is a fundamental element present at every stage of a cosmetic's life: from creation to use up to disposal.
This reason, combined with consumers' demand for greater responsibility on the part of companies, has led brands to look for new technologies and more efficient production processes, which allow less use of water both during the production phase and in the products themselves which, therefore, require limited use of preservatives.
It is a new approach to beauty, more conscious and ethical, which enhances the idea of sustainable cosmetics.
Biofarma Group, always attentive to grasping signals and market trends to which to respond with cutting-edge solutions, has been active for years in the production of cosmetics with a solid formulation dedicated to face, hair and body, highly performing and with sustainable packaging, made without or with lower water content.
These BPCs (Beauty and Personal Care) can be produced in solid format thanks to the "hot filling" technology applied to different areas of the beauty world. In the skin care and hair care field, it boasts applications in formulations for lip balms, sun sticks and deodorants, eye and face contour creams, masks, conditioners and cleansers.
The castings are divided based on the matrix that composes them into anhydrous and gelled water-based systems. In the first case, the structure includes mixtures of vegetable and synthetic oils, natural waxes and butter; in the second, the aqueous core allows the incorporation of powders such as Zinc Oxide, Clays, and Glitter, thanks to the presence of gelling agents.
These products' production and packaging process is simple: the product mixture is heated to controlled temperatures until completely melted, followed by the hot-dosed filling in the container or mould. After the filling process, the container is immediately cooled, a crucial step that leads to the solidification of the product. The filling machine accurately controls temperature and product flow during the filling operation.
The product flow is adjusted according to the operating speed, depending on the viscosity or density of the product.
The advantages of these formulations are numerous:
a reduction or elimination of the use of water for sunscreen/skin care products, which involves water savings in a "planet-friendly" perspective, but also the limited use of preservatives necessary to counteract the bacterial proliferation that generally occurs in the aqueous vehicle;
an improvement in hygiene. The product should be applied in direct contact with skin and hair, limiting the use of hands, a vehicle for the spread and proliferation of germs;
as a consequence of the previous point, on the method of application, there is a reduction of waste and, therefore, of product residues that are released into the environment;
a reduction or abandonment of the use of plastic in favour of packs made from recyclable materials, thus improving the sustainability credentials of the product compared to liquid BPCs;
an economic saving for the consumer. Although they cost more than conventional products, solid formulations last longer.
The Biofarma Group product portfolio has numerous application areas of solid cosmetics, including sun protection and face care.
The Sun Protection Stick is an example: it is an innovative sun product for the face and body, which combines protection from UVA and UVB rays with moisturizing properties due to the nourishing emollients contained in the product.
This formulation is one of the sustainable cosmetic products thanks to its solid form, obtained through the hot filling technology that allows a significant reduction in the use of water and the realization of the product in stick format, practical to transport and apply.
Another product obtained thanks to the hot filling technique is the Confortig Balm, a multi-purpose balm applicable to the face, cuticles, elbows, and other dry areas of the body.
Thanks to its components' moisturizing and nourishing properties, it gives brightness to the complexion. More specifically, the product contains macadamia oil that supports the protective barrier of the skin and has an antimicrobial action; sweet almond oil with emollient properties; shea butter with nourishing properties that can relieve the symptoms of dry skin and repair the impaired functionality of the skin barrier; vitamin E and carrot oil exert antioxidant properties.
The Stick Sun Protection and Comforting Balm are two sustainable cosmetics with a high content of innovation that best embody the new frontiers of sustainable cosmetics and green beauty.
“The courage to change”, © British Beauty Council
