SENSOCEL scrubs_final

Clean cosmetics for a clean environment

Cellulose as a bio degradable alternative for microplastics in cosmetics and oral care

Microplastics are still used in personal care products, although the environmental impacts are well known. Tiny plastic particles from peelings and other skin care products enter the sea and ultimately our food chain via wastewater systems. In a research project, CFF developed innovative Materials from cellulose in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS that can replace microplastics in cosmetic products and are biodegradable.

Microplastics – What`s the story behind?

As "gentle abrasives", micro-fine plastic particles remove dead skin cells by means of friction and stimulate the blood circulation of the skin. Polyethylene and polypropylene are two of the so-called microplastics. They are not biodegradable. Due to the small particle size of less than 5 millimeters, microplastics that have been washed into the wastewater with cosmetics cannot be sufficiently removed in sewage treatment plants. It therefore reaches the environment and enters our free waters. In the sea, microplastic particles are absorbed by living organisms and eventually enter our food chain.

The research project – KosLigCel

With the research project "KosLigCel" within the framework of the leading-edge cluster BioEconomy, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, alternatives made of biodegradable materials such as beech wood, oat, wheat and corn cob, that fulfill the requirements to abrasion and cleaning performance for oral care and skincare products, were successfully developed and tested.

The particular challenge was to design the cellulose particles in such a way that their size, shape, hardness and surface structure lead to the desired product properties. Cellulose made of beech wood has been modified and an optimisation process was accompanied by microstructure analysis at Fraunhofer IMWS. Further information on the project as well as on our products can be found here!

Sponsored by:

KosLigCel-1

Project partners:

KosLigCel Partner

About the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS

The central challenge of the 21st century is the sustainability of all areas of life and in particular, efficient handling of limited raw materials. The Fraunhofer-institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS promotes and conducts application-orientated research in the field of material efficiency and is an initiator, innovator and problem solver for the industry as well as for public clients in the fields of responsibility, safety, durability and functionality of materials in components and systems. Its core areas of expertise lays in the field of characterisation of components down to its atomic level as well as in the development of materials.

About Skinomics GmbH

Founded in 2008, Skinomics GmbH specialises in the development, optimisation and testing of preparations for dermal application on behalf of manufacturers of cosmetics, medical devices and pharmaceutical industries as well as for raw material suppliers. The research and development activities are based on an interdisciplinary combination of pharmaceutical and dermatological expertise. Skinomics GmbH also transforms systemic medication into application systems and identifies novel active ingredients and excipients for use in cosmetic and pharmaceutical skin preparations.

About the leading-edge cluster BioEconomy

In the BioEconomy cluster, which has been a leading-edge cluster of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since 2012, partners from industry and research in Central Germany work on the fundamentals of the material and energetic usage of non-food biomass. The leading-edge BioEconomy cluster links the industries relevant to the bio-economy, such as the chemical industry, the pulp and paper industry, agriculture and forestry, the energy sector as well as mechanical engineering and plant construction in Central Germany, and for the first time represents the entire innovation and value-added chain across all sectors.