The SULA LABS Report x Katonah Chemical
Authors: AJ Addae, Kahina Jean-Baptiste, Ellie Ballou (Spate)
Abstract
This month, The SULA LABS Report is in sponsorship with Katonah Chemical, an ingredient supplier that’s committed to fueling more environmentally sustainable raw material solutions into the personal care market.
Before we get there, our internal update is that we’re officially running claim substantiation tests to validate claims such as “hydration”, “hyperpigmentation efficacy”, and “moisturization.” We’re also rolling out a new private label SULA LABS Innovation Line, with active ingredients that are informed by dark skinned consumer preferences. In July, we’ll release a special SULA LABS Report to brief you on our capabilities.
As always, we’re super excited for you all to check out what we’ve been contributing to — especially with collaborations and launches on the way, along with some exciting research studies we are conducting in our lab.
This month, we’re examining upcycled beauty (is it truly sustainable?), enzymes, and an exciting new raw material, Pineapple UP-GL.
Upcycled Beauty
You may have been hearing the term “upcycled beauty” flooding across your timeline and skincare newsletter subscriptions over the past years. The first time I (AJ) consciously experienced a beauty product with an upcycled focus was when I was 19 years old, working at Credo Beauty, and literally drawing literature-informed ingredient maps to increase sales on specific ingredients in the store. I stumbled across a little packet-sized sample of a coffee scrub from a brand called UpCircle that proudly touted its comparably sustainable, upcycled coffee sourcing process. To this day, UpCircle’s website declares that the coffee is sourced from “top-quality Arabica coffee grounds sourced from artisan coffee shops.”
In many ways, upcycling a material is an extremely intentional process that is often associated with environmental sustainability. Upcycling is the process of utilizing byproduct “waste” from the processing of botanical materials to create completely new applications of the starting material. In other words, botanical waste from production and manufacturing can be used to regenerate interesting, exciting new applications. According to a 2022 study in the International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, over 115 million tons of citrus fruits were produced annually, yet only a third of this material was processed into juice for usage in the food industry. After production of citrus juices, the peel, which is about 50% of the fruit, inevitably goes to waste. However, where material typically goes to waste, upcycling comes in handy to create newer applications for the starting material.
The personal care industry benefits greatly from upcycled materials – in fact, upcycled ingredients have an estimated market size of $231.5 million in 2021 and are expected to reach $433.5 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 6.6% (Cosmetics & Toiletries Magazine). One of the biggest applications of upcycling is seen in coffee grounds. However, when 19 year old me picked up that coffee scrub from Credo Beauty years ago, I immediately made the connection that many of my favorite beauty products and concepts utilize upcycled applications:
Vaseline, which is largely purified petrolatum, comes from the byproduct of producing petrolatum in the fuel industry
Postbiotic skincare products utilizing bacterial ferments and lysates to create ingredients that work to regulate skin bacteria
Hydrosols that deliver fragrance to products
Various products that use honey, or coffee grounds
While it often remains a question whether environmentally sustainable beauty solutions actually make large strides on sustainability, (e.g., using glass packaging versus plastic packaging, or waterless products), it’s almost inarguable that upcycled raw materials are quite literally preservative of natural resources. Consumers with interest in sustainable beauty solutions have caught on as well, especially the clean beauty industry has become what our Head of Community, Kahina, calls a “modern mandatory.” The clean beauty industry is growing at a rapid 12% CAGR over the next five years, with a value of $7.22 billion in 2022 just last year. In fact, several brands (exactly 24%) in our portfolio at SULA LABS express a keen interest in using upcycled materials. Clean beauty founders, this is your call that upcycling just might be your chance to make a bigger impact than you may think.
Will you pick up the call?
Trending Ingredient Category to Watch: Enzymes
Enzymes are one of esthetician’s favorite ingredients for effective yet gentle exfoliation, visible hyperpigmentation-oriented benefits, and even hydration boosting. Enzymes are a highly specific subset of proteins that are extracted from fruits like papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin and are used in various skincare formats. In skincare, enzymes can work to break down the discoloration and acne causing keratin protein buildup on the surface of the skin. Interestingly, they can also stimulate the generation of internal skin hydrators, which is an often unseen application. As a result, skin looks noticeably more even in tone and texture after continuous use. In formulation, enzymes are typically added in what we call “the cool down phase” to preserve the benefits and often acidic integrity of the material.
Our friends at Spate confirmed that the following trends have been seen from consumers regarding enzyme search data (thanks, Ellie Ballou from Spate!):
Related searches for “Enzyme” + “Face peel” are up with 34.5% year over year growth
Related searches for “Enzyme” + “Face cream” are up with 20.5% year over year growth
Related searches for “Enzyme” + “Face cleanser” are up with 13.6% year over year growth
Notable Enzyme Skin Care Innovations
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant ($65) - This is an iconic exfoliating powder designed to help you achieve brighter, smoother skin. Rice based powder activates upon contact with water releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid, and Rice Enzymes to polish skin to perfection.
Enzyme used:
Rice Enzymes - Smooths skin texture.
Clinical Studies:
Based on an independent clinical results with 35 volunteers in a 4 week test:
Improves skin smoothness and reduces blackheads after 1 use.
Brightens and minimizes the look of dark spots after 1-4 weeks of daily use.
Versed Doctor’s Visit Instant Resurfacing Mask ($17.99) - Pro-grade results you don’t need an appointment for - in just 2 minutes. A literal pot of gold featuring a triple-threat of AHA, BHA, and enzyme exfoliation, this resurfacing mask tackles hyperpigmentation and boost skin cell turnover for brighter, smoother, rejuvenated skin.
Enzyme used:
Pineapple Enzymes and Papaya Enzymes at 1.2% combined to gently resurface and remove dead skin cells for visibly brighter skin.
Eadem Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum ($68) - A fragrance free milky serum uniquely formulated for skin of color to actively fade dark spots and prevent the formation of new ones.
Enzyme used:
Papaya Enzyme and Pineapple Enzymes to gently resurface and remove dead skin cells for visibly brighter skin.
Unique Technology:
Smart Melanin™ Technology - Made of amber algae to dramatically reduce dark spots while evening skin tones without changing its tyrosinase, ethyl ascorbic acid for its collagen boosting and skin brightening properties, niacinamide to fight acne and soothe inflammation, and licorice root as a brightener for combatting discoloration.
Consumer Studies:
Based on 50 women with darker skin tones:
95.2% would recommend to a friend.
Peach & Lily Glass Skin Face Polisher ($48) - Easily achieve visibly smoother, brighter, and clearer skin with this rice based enzyme powder.
Enzymes used:
Crystal Rice™ Rice - A physical (solid rice particles) and chemical exfoliant (rice enzymes) dissolving blend of smoothened microcrystalline cellulose, rice bran, and cornstarch for gentle micro-exfoliation.
Clinical Studies:
100% felt softer and smoother skin after just one use
100% said this effectively resurfaced and exfoliated dead skin cells
100% said this did not irritate skin and the exfoliating process was gentle
96% saw more luminosity and even skin texture
Pineapple UP - GL
This month, we’re excited to share with you one of our new favorite ingredients in the lab, which we’re sure you can guess – is an upcycled material! Our friends at Katonah Chemical have officially released a new upcycled, enzyme-packed raw material, Pineapple UP - GL (INCI: Glycerin (and) Water (and) Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract).
Katonah Chemical is an ingredient supplier that’s committed to fueling more environmentally sustainable raw material solutions into the personal care market. Outside of environmentally sustainable actives, Katonah Chemical also supplies everything from structural ingredients, to surfactants, to even UV absorbers. We’re pretty thrilled about Pineapple UP - GL for several reasons:
Ingredient Story - The ingredient is upcycled out of leftovers from pineapple jam in Milagro, Ecuador. Producing pineapple jam uses about one third of a pineapple – therefore, Katonah Chemical utilizes the remaining pineapple skin to create rich extracts that tackle skin solutions.
Ingredient Composition - The ingredient cleverly utilizes the whole extract of pineapple, rather than focusing on pineapple’s extract isolates. This means that you’re receiving a broad range of benefits beyond exfoliation, which is commonly associated with pineapple raw materials. This also suggests that the exfoliation received from this material may prove to be more gentle than a targeted bromelain material, which is ultimately helpful for more sensitive skin types.
Clinical Data - To demonstrate the above, Pineapple UP-GL was clinically tested to improve the rate of transepidermal water loss, and increase skin moisturization after one single application versus a placebo.
Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) benefits:
After 30 minutes of applying a product with Pineapple UP-GL, there was a 28.8% decrease in TEWL
After 8 hours of applying a product with Pineapple UP-GL, there was a 25% decrease in TEWL
After 24 hours of applying a product with Pineapple UP-GL, there was a 17.7% decrease in TEWL
Moisturization benefits:
After 30 minutes of applying a product with Pineapple UP-GL, there was a 31.4% increase in moisturization, which sustained in moisturization for 24 hours.
As mentioned before, it’s not common to find pineapple extracts that have a demonstrated focus on moisturization and tackling dry skin via addressing both texture and hydration. A 2021 study in the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences that examines the skin-benefiting potential of upcycled pineapple extracts reported effectivity against acne-causing bacteria, antioxidant activity competitive to ascorbic acid, and highest protein content observed in the peel of the pineapple, compared to the stem, core, and crown. Ultimately, Pineapple UP-GL effectively brings the benefits of papain, while retaining the natural moisturizing factors, antioxidants, and humectants that are packed in this Ecuador-sourced pineapple extract.
We’ve been playing around with this material lately at SULA LABS. While using this material, we’ve created:
A gel moisturizer
A gentle cleanser
A mask
And even a sunscreen!
We’d love to bring this material to your products at SULA LABS, or connect you with Katonah Chemical to receive samples on Pineapple UP-GL, or any of their additional materials. If you’re interested in this material to receive samples, pricing, an SDS, or COA, or any other information, reach out to us at hello@sula-labs.com.
Conclusion
And that’s all for this month! ☻ We are so grateful for your support at the SULA LABS Report, and again thankful to our friends over at Spate, and Katonah Chemical for helping this month’s issue come to life.
If you like what you’ve read, feel free to email us with questions, comments, concerns, or category suggestions at hello@sula-labs.com.
Till next time,
The SULA LABS Team