The EU has banned an ingredient that is used in 70% of cosmetic products. 

Palm oil, in the last two decades, has gone from super ingredient to an environmental boogeyman which any earth loving consumer would avoid.

And large and small companies have till July 2024 and December 2024 respectively to remove this unsustainable oil from their products. Or show that production of their specific goods has not damaged forests.

And if you haven’t figured out a way to remove palm oil from products, I have good news. There’s a new ingredient in town that could replace palm oil. Biosurfactants. 

A USA biotechnology startup Locus PI has developed bioinformatics and fermentation technology to create nature-derived biosurfactants. More specifically, sophorolipids biosurfactants from the glycolipid class. Their product lineup has also been certified by USDA. 

These biosurfactant ingredients could pave the way for more sustainable ingredients in cosmetic compositions, as they have multifunctionality properties. 

That means they can do all the things palm oil does, but without the nasty side effects on our planet. 

There are more startups, like Locus PI, that are taking care of the environment and following sustainability guidelines. 

For instance, we made a list of startups that are making cosmetics free of Octocrylene and Oxybenzone (or Benzophenone -3) – https://www.greyb.com/blog/octocrylene-and-benzophenone-3-free-sunscreen/ 

If you’re facing trouble solving a sustainability challenge in your cosmetics, you can drop us a message here and we’ll connect you with startups that are already solving it.