Natural and Palm-Free Personal Care Formulas

Have you noticed how frequently you hear about palm oil or palm kernel oil and its effects on deforestation? In the eyes of many consumers, palm oil and deforestation have become more or less synonymous. Many formulators, including myself, are asked to avoid palm oil derivatives in our formulation work. Because a lot of functional ingredients, such as emulsifiers and surfactants, are derived from palm oil, until now the apparent “sweet spot solution” has been to use mass balanced palm oil derivatives, where 50% of the ingredient comes from certified sources, where one would expect the forests are protected.


Unfortunately, this sweet spot solution is losing credibility, as media has recently exposed a lack of transparency in the certification behind certified palm oil and an actual increase in the forest fires of South East Asia that are used to clear land for the palm oil cultivation.¹ This raises the  question, “why pay for a premium product when it does not actually protect the forest and wildlife?”  


As a result, customers who are sensitive to ecological imperatives consider avoiding palm oil derivatives altogether.  However, technically this is more easily said than done. Therefore, let’s explore the possibility of formulating cosmetics avoiding palm oil derivatives altogether and using petrochemicals in line with the Cosmos standard! Cosmos allows the use of petrochemicals depending on the process involved and the quantity of petrochemical moiety in the molecule, allowing molecules that are biodegradable and obtained via green chemistry.


Can it be done? What alternative sources are available? What kind of products can be developed? To answer these questions, let’s review functional ingredients by category and see what is available:

Emollients. There are plenty of naturally-derived emollients, derived, for example, from coconut oil, sugar cane, brassica and so on. Some examples are caprylic/capric triglyceride and dicaprylyl succinate from coconut oil, and lanolin from wool. There are also many vegetable oils with all sorts of textures and for all sorts of budgets.

Humectants. Glycerine can be derived from many different sources, including coconut oil, rapeseed oil and karanja seed. In addition, there is butylene glycol and pentylene glycol from GMO-free corn.

Emulsifiers. Palm-free and naturally-derived emulsifiers are harder to find, however, a few are available. For example, there is glyceryl stearate citrate from rapeseed oil, glyceryl stearate from olive oil and neem wax derived from fractionated neem oil (INCI: Melia azadirachta seed oil).

Waxes and butters. There are several plant-derived waxes available today, including rice wax (Oryza sativa cera), soy wax (Hydrogenated soybean oil) and candelilla wax (Copernicia cerifera cera), to name a few. There are also many butters, such as shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii), mango butter (Mangifera indica seed butter) and cocoa butter (Theobroma cacao butter).

Surfactants. This is where it gets very difficult. Palm oil/palm kernel oil is a very cost-effective natural source to manufacture price-sensitive commodity ingredients such as surfactants. However, there are a few Cosmos compliant surfactants that are not derived from palm sources, including sodium cocoamphoacetate, cocoamidopropyl betaine, potassium cocoate, disodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium cocoyl glutamate and disodium cocoyl glutamate. All of these surfactants are derived from coconut oil.

Rheology modifiers. Most natural rheology modifiers are derived from corn, seaweed, wood or other plant sources.

Cationics. So far, I have only found one cationic that is plant-derived and palm-oil free: Brassicyl isoleucinate esylate, which is derived from brassica oil, sugar cane and rice.

Actives. Actives, per se, are not usually derived from palm oil/palm kernel oil, but they still need to be screened to see if the solvent used is a palm oil derivative, such as glycerine, or even an emollient.

Preservatives. They are either synthetic, or derived from corn or other plant sources.


I was surprised to find so many ingredients—far more so than I expected. However, this simple exploration shows that if you wish to stay green and stay away from palm oils derivatives you are very restricted on what you can use for rinse off products such as shampoos and conditioners. Emulsions are easier whereas oils are just fine; but the selection of surfactants increases if you accept more petrochemicals; however, using more petrochemicals and avoiding palm oil derivatives is a conundrum that might backfire because of biodegradability and sustainability issues.


As a result of the concern for the forests and wildlife by the consumers, there are now two organizations offering a certification system for palm oil free cosmetics: Palm Free Council (launched in February 2017) in the US and QCertificazioni srl in Italy with No Palm Oil certification.


The big question is: what is the environmental impact of switching from palm oils to other natural sources, such as corn, coconut oil and rapeseed oil or increase in the use of petrochemicals?


Palm oils are not the real problem. The palm is a wonderful source of so many good things; the big issue is the way that it is grown, and the lack of strict international regulation aimed at protecting forests and wildlife. It would be far more beneficial for the environment, and the industry, to get a more transparent and valid system to certify sustainable palm oil. The Palm Free Council’s mission is a good start; it aims to educate and campaign to promote changes that will create an effective monitoring system to protect wildlife and peat land forests. All profits are donated to the Orangutan Project and the IUCN Red List.


Another initiative at University of Chongquing Jiaotong in China is developing a system to turn desert sand into soil. If this could be applied to palm plantations, it could be revolutionary.


In the meantime, what is needed is international standards and regulations, with an official body to enforce them. Until then the forests and wildlife will be very difficult to protect. 


Reference

1. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-palm-oil-successful-rspo-certification
2. http://www.qcsrl.it
    

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Dr. Barbara Olioso
MRSC • TheGreenChemistConsultancy.com

Dr. Barbara Olioso received her doctor in chemistry from Venice University in Italy. She combines a scientific background with a passion for botanicals and sustainability applied to cosmetics. She has been formulating natural and organic cosmetics since 1999, developing skin care and hair care for SMEs, and international spa brands. She also gives presentations and teaches about sustainability, natural preservation and Cosmos.
Contact: Barbara@thegreenchemistconsultancy.com