Inolex, Inc. and Inolex Investment Corp. have taken a significant step in protecting its pioneering work in the field of safe preservation by filing a patent infringement complaint against Actera Ingredients, Inc. in US District Court for the District of Delaware.

Inolex officials say the company has spent the past two decades investing heavily in the innovation of safe preservation, specifically under the Spectrastat tradename family of products. As a team of inventors and designers, Inolex takes a firm position in respecting the integrity of intellectual property. The company’s investment in intellectual property rights has contributed to the development of several of its proprietary technology platforms, including safe preservation, which benefit the beauty and personal care industry with safer and more sustainable ingredient options.

On April 12, 2024, Inolex filed a complaint alleging that Actera Ingredients, Inc. infringes claims from United States Patent No. 10,897,899 and United States Patent No. 11,291,204. The asserted Inolex patents claim multifunctional preservation systems comprising caprylhydroxamic acid (CHA) and select diols for cosmetics, personal care, and pharmaceuticals. The patents claim the use of these ingredient compositions in formulations as well as blends comprising the CHA-diol compositions.

This legal action underscores Inolex’s commitment to safeguarding its intellectual property and the innovation that it supports, per officials. In 2023, Inolex asserted the same patents against AE Chemie, Inc. in US District Court for the Central District of California, which resulted in a settlement on favorable terms for Inolex. The present lawsuit against Actera Ingredients, Inc. seeks permanent injunctions against further infringements, as well as monetary damages for sales of infringing products.

The Inolex track record of safe preservation solutions, which includes individual multifunctional components and complete broad-spectrum systems, centers on safe, effective, and consumer acceptable ways to protect products from microbial contamination. Using a hurdle technology approach, the solutions employ an intelligent combination of different preservation factors, or techniques, to create multiple barriers to microbial growth that inhibit microorganisms.

Caprylhydroxamic Acid (CHA) is a 100% natural and readily biodegradable chelating agent derived from coconut-sourced caprylic acid. CHA is a biostatic organic acid that can be a crucial component of an effective broad spectrum preservation system due to its multiple mechanisms of action. It provides a strong hurdle to microbial growth at pH 4-8, including broad spectrum protection against contamination by bacteria, yeast, and mold achieved via a combination of CHA with medium chain terminal diols, such as caprylyl glycol, glyceryl caprylate, or caprylyl glyceryl ether.

Inolex offers its portfolio of CHA-diol broad spectrum systems under the Spectrastat tradename, with particular emphasis on 100% natural systems, such as Spectrastat G2 Natural MB (INCI: Caprylhydroxamic Acid (and) Glyceryl Caprylate (and) Glycerin) and Spectrastat CGE Natural MB (INCI: Caprylhydroxamic Acid (and) Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether (and) Propanediol).

Inolex’s patented safe preservation compositions and methods yield a versatile ingredient platform which gives formulators optionality when developing their optimal preservation system for consumer products. Backed by the company’s extensive research and efficacy testing, brands can select the preservation component or complete system that is best suited to their product development needs.