For more than 120 years, Sonneborn – an HF Sinclair brand – has built its reputation around technical excellence, partnership, and a deep understanding of the evolving needs of personal care formulators. Sonneborn continues that legacy with a significant expansion of the SonneNatural™ product family, a portfolio of high-purity, naturally derived ingredients produced at scale. These product lines are designed to meet the industry’s rising expectations for sustainability, performance, and regulatory compliance.

The latest additions – SonneNatural™ Fluidity and SonneNatural™ Synergy – represent an important milestone in the company’s long-term innovation strategy. They join the well-established SonneNatural™ Affinity line, known globally for delivering a luxurious sensory feel and reliable functionality as natural alternatives to traditional petrolatums and waxes.

SonneNatural™ represents Sonneborn’s commitment to sustainability, providing innovative products based on naturally derived ingredients.* It offers non-conventional, naturally derived solutions developed for Personal Care, Beauty and Household, Industrial and Institutional Markets and more.

Together, these technologies form a versatile, future-focused platform that supports the next wave of product development across skincare, sun care, hair care, color cosmetics, and beyond.

A Sustainable Step Forward: SonneNatural™ Fluidity

As demand intensifies for ingredients that unite environmental responsibility with uncompromising performance, formulators are increasingly seeking replacements for cyclic siloxanes (D4, D5, D6). These materials – long valued for their light, silky feel – face mounting regulatory scrutiny worldwide and present established sustainability challenges.

SonneNatural™ Fluidity 40P is Sonneborn’s answer: A 100% bio-based, readily biodegradable Renewable White Alkane providing an excellent replacement for cyclic siloxanes (D4, D5, D6) and low viscosity mineral and vegetable oils.

SonneNatural™ Fluidity delivers:

• 100% bio-based content for brands committed to renewable sourcing
• Exceptional purity and performance and provides up to 68%** (cradle-to-gate) product carbon footprint reduction compared to siloxanes and up to 60%** (cradle-to-grave) compared to White Mineral Oils.
• Readily biodegradable, supporting eco-responsible formulation strategies
• Odorless, colorless, GMO-free***, purity to align with clean-label and sensitive-skin demands
• Enhanced sensory performance, with a smooth, elegant slip ideal for modern texture design

The ingredient’s multifunctionality makes it particularly valuable in categories where lightweight, non-greasy aesthetics are paramount. In sun care, it enables even distributable film formation. In skincare and makeup, it helps achieve sophisticated sensorial profiles. And in haircare, its fluid texture supports shine enhancement and conditioning without heaviness.

Formulators will recognize the challenge of replacing silicones without compromising performance. SonneNatural™ Fluidity offers that solution – one that meets technical benchmarks while reinforcing a brand’s sustainability narrative.

Precision Performance: Introducing SonneNatural™ Synergy

Innovation in personal care increasingly requires flexibility. Brands must respond quickly to shifts in consumer expectations, regulatory requirements, and market dynamics – often while navigating tight development timelines.

SonneNatural™ Synergy offers truly bespoke products, serving multiple applications globally. It is a completely customizable hybrid offering, combining Renewable White Alkanes with conventional ingredients. The customizable portfolio currently includes four distinct products, varying in viscosity and sustainable content. These grades deliver sensory performance (cushion, gloss, slip, playtime and lubricity) comparable to traditional White Mineral Oils, ranging from lighter profiles (body oils) to higher viscosities (hair, lip, sun and skin care).

SonneNatural™ Synergy allows R&D teams to:

• Bridge the gap between sustainability, compatibility and cost.
• Balance naturality, stability, and sensory benefits with predictable consistency.
• Enables increased renewable content while meeting specifications.

This adaptability empowers manufacturers to differentiate their products while maintaining scalability and quality – an increasingly important advantage in a crowded marketplace.

“Our expanded SonneNatural™ portfolio marks an important step in our ability to develop, formulate and produce products at scale that address the needs of customers today and in the future,” said John K. Pudelski, Ph.D., Vice President, Technology and New Business Development, Lubricants & Specialties at HF Sinclair. “We’re very proud of this innovative suite of products and the role they are playing in advancing the specialty ingredients industry into a more sustainable future.”

Strengthening a Trusted Foundation: SonneNatural™ Affinity

While SonneNatural™ Fluidity and SonneNatural™ Synergy are the latest additions, SonneNatural™ Affinity continues to serve as a cornerstone of Sonneborn’s natural innovation strategy. These 100% plant-based waxy emollients have become well-established alternatives to petrolatum and waxes, these innovative ingredients deliver exceptional sensory performance while meeting demand for clean, sustainable formulations.

SonneNatural™ Affinity offers:

• Affinity One: (Formerly SonneNatural™) provides creamy application with high cushion, gloss, slip, playtime and spreadability for skin care, hair care and color cosmetics. It uses a single palm-derived feedstock, sourced from approved suppliers with deforestation-free certification..
• Affinity Palm-Free: (Formerly SonneNatural™  PF-1) is the Palm-Free version of Affinity One, delivering similar high cushion, gloss, playtime and spreadability with medium-low slip.
• Affinity Duro: (formerly SonneNatural™  NXG) is a palm-free, firm emollient offering a non-greasy feel with excellent moisture retention and a soft, occlusive afterfeel. Ideal for anhydrous formulas.

This line reflects Sonneborn’s ongoing commitment to providing solutions that enable brands to meet consumer demands for naturality, transparency, and sustainability – while ensuring the technical reliability required across global markets.

120 Years of Innovation, Built for the Future

Sonneborn’s expansion of the SonneNatural™ platform is not merely a response to market trends; it is an extension of the company’s long-standing innovation ethos. For more than a century, Sonneborn has helped guide the personal care industry through evolving scientific, regulatory, and consumer landscapes.

“These three product lines offer application formulators a comprehensive portfolio of naturally derived ingredients developed to meet consumer expectations, ensure quality and compatibility, and comply with regulatory standards—ideal solutions to support your sustainability journey” said Mark de Koff, Global Business Segments Manager Specialties, Global Marketing with HF Sinclair’s Lubricants & Specialties division.

This perspective – grounded in science, informed by partnership and focused on long-term success – remains a defining characteristic of the company’s approach.

Formulators, scientists, and brand developers trust Sonneborn not only for ingredient quality but for the collaborative expertise behind every interaction. The company’s 360° view of customer needs, from manufacturing scale-up to regulatory support and sensorial design, reflects a partnership mentality that continues to differentiate it within the specialty ingredients landscape.

Supporting the Industry’s Sustainability Journey

The personal care sector is undergoing rapid transformation. As environmental and health considerations become central to product design, ingredient suppliers must offer more than a catalogue – they must provide solutions.

Sonneborn’s next-generation SonneNatural™ portfolio empowers formulators to:

• Transition away from challenged chemistries like cyclic siloxanes (D4, D5, D6)
• Reduce carbon footprint without sacrificing elegance of feel.
• Create high-performance emulsions, balms, serums, sunscreens, and hybrid solutions.
• Design products with stronger sustainability storytelling.
• Anticipate regulatory evolution rather than react to it

The company’s investment in patented bio-based technologies and customizable hybrid ingredients underscores its commitment to helping customers stay ahead of the curve.

With SonneNatural™ Fluidity, Synergy, and Affinity, Sonneborn provides a unified suite of ingredients that elevate both sensorial formulation design and corporate sustainability initiatives – offering reliable, future-ready alternatives tailored for global markets.

Looking Ahead

As consumers demand more natural, luxurious and environmentally responsible personal care products, the pressure on manufacturers and formulation scientists continues to grow. Sonneborn’s expanded SonneNatural™ portfolio offers a clear, technically robust path forward – one grounded in over a century of innovation and a deep understanding of the industry’s complexities.

From biobased silicone replacements to customizable hybrid systems and plant-derived emollients, Sonneborn is enabling brands to create differentiated products that support both performance and purpose.

To learn more about the SonneNatural™ portfolio and explore application opportunities, visit: www.sonneborn.com/sonnenatural

*SonneNatural™ represents Sonneborn’s commitment to sustainability, providing innovative products based on naturally derived ingredients. Find out more at www.Sonneborn.com   

**Cradle to Grave Analysis assumes PCF (cradle-to-gate) plus emissions at end of life to full oxidation of products (gate- to-Grave). HF Sinclair L&S product LCA and PCF (Cradle-to-Gate) based on ISO 14040, 14044, 14067  

*** Based on PCR testing