SURFACTANTS lower aquatic toxicity than traditional surfactants , making them less harmful to aquatic life and reducing the environmental impact of products . This is a crucial consideration for companies committed to improving their footprint and achieving sustainability targets .
Furthermore , the use of glycolipids produced from sustainable feedstocks reduces the carbon footprint of products . Conventional surfactants are often derived from non-renewable resources like petrochemicals , which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions .
In contrast , glycolipids are obtained from responsibly sourced , plantbased feedstocks through an optimised fermentation process that requires less energy and generates fewer emissions . Overall , the integration of glycolipids into personal care products can help companies to gain a competitive edge , minimise their carbon footprint , and support ethical and sustainable practices .
In addition to their attractive sustainability profile , glycolipids offer excellent technical features and consumer benefits . To illustrate the efficacy of switching to glycolipids in formulations , data is presented for Evonik ’ s glycolipids , which are sold under the trade names Rheance * One
( rhamnolipids ) and Sophance * LA-A ( acid-rich sophorolipids ).
Technical features
Glycolipids are versatile and can be used in a wide range of personal care applications , including make-up removers , facial cleansers , micellar waters , gels , shampoos , scalp treatments , foams , wet wipes and microemulsions , as well as oral care and baby cleansing .
They are highly efficient and can reach their critical micelle concentration ( CMC ) at a lower concentration than commodity surfactants . They also remain effective even in harsh conditions , such as high pH and temperatures . Evonik ’ s glycolipids demonstrate their efficacy through technical data .
Rhamnolipids are high-foaming surfactants that produce a dense and creamy foam structure . The foam kinetics of Rheance One and other surfactants were tested using the SITA equipment and demonstrated comparable performance to sodium laureth sulfate ( SLS ) at pH 6 and Rheance One outperformed the alternatives ( Figure 2 ). The foaming properties of Rheance One can be further optimised by pH adjustments .
Additionally , Rheance One delivers a highly stable and dense foam with a creamy texture . Krüss foam tester tests revealed that it produced a higher initial amount of bubbles and average bubble size than both SLS and cocamidopropyl betaine ( CMPB ). The initial numbers of bubbles / mm 2 were 229 for Rheance One , 193 for SLS and 162 for CMPB , while the initial average bubble sizes were 4,411 , 5,20 and 6,345 µ m 2 respectively .
Because make-ups , mascaras and sunscreens are designed to be longlasting and waterproof , being able to remove these products completely has become an important part of the consumer ’ s daily cleaning regimen . The cleansing data shows that both rhamnolipids and sophorolipids have excellent cleansing performance .
3 % a . m . of Sophance LA-A sophorolipids solution outperformed a market benchmark based on PEG-6 caprylic / capric glycerides in a comparative make-up removal test , demonstrating the superior cleansing properties of the glycolipids for both regular and waterproof mascara . The lower number of wipes demonstrates better cleansing performance ( Figure 3 ).
Consumer benefits
In addition to their impressive sustainability profile and technical features , rhamnolipids and sophorolipids also have exceptional skin and scalp compatibility , making
Figure 2 - Foam structure analysis ( left ) & kinetics via SITA method ( right )
Note : DFA method : c = 12 %, pH – 6.0 ; SITA method : C = 0.5 %, T = 30 º C , water ~ water ~ 10 ° dH , 1500 rpm , pH = 6
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