Muttenz, November 12, 2018 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, and its Active Ingredients business is the proud recipient of the 2018 Sustainable Ingredient Award for Eosidin, an innovative active ingredient that is unique in protecting skin from indoor pollution damage.

Announced at the Sustainable Beauty Awards ceremony in Paris, this particular award is given to a cosmetic ingredient that makes a significant difference in terms of environmental and / or social footprint. Ecovia Intelligence hosted the awards on November 6, 2018 during the European edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit.

Eosidin, the first solution to protect skin from indoor pollution damage, was developed jointly by Clariant Active Ingredients and Biospectrum. The active ingredient comes from the Jeju Island natural reserve in South Korea and is an extract of green citrus unshiu rich in highly potent molecules that play an important role in regulating immunomodulation and decreasing hypersensitivity.

The citrus unshiu cultivation, which includes no use of pesticides, and the extraction process have been designed to reduce waste, limit the environmental impact, and be non-food competitive. The citrus comes from the small unripe fruit that would normally be harvested and thrown away by farmers in order to boost tree growth. The unripe waste fruits account for around 10% of Jeju’s production. Instead, these unripe fruits are collected and used to create the raw material, ensuring an up-cycling process. The unique supply network provides local farmers with a new opportunity to supplement their income and improve living standards.

All steps from harvest to extraction process are performed directly on Jeju Island, through a dedicated production plant, to develop the local economy, support local biodiversity and decrease carbon footprint from citrus field to production plant.

Amarjit Sahota, President of Ecovia Intelligence (organiser of Sustainable Beauty Awards), comments: “Eosidin active ingredient captured the jury’s attention for it showed how a green material can help push the boundaries of sustainability in the beauty industry.

Not only is it based on renewable feedstock, it makes a significant difference through a low environmental impact and the active involvement of local citrus farmers in achieving a sustainable new source of income.”
 

Skin sensitivity is an issue for 60% of the global population. Atopic-prone skin and hypersensitivity is on the rise due to the pollution. The introduction of the first ingredient to target indoor pollution creates opportunities to achieve differentiation through a new indoor-pollution sub-category of finished products within the anti-pollution area. It supports new concepts for finished products targeting itchiness, atopic-prone skin, irritation and hypersensitivity that will respond to consumer beauty concerns.



Clariant Active Ingredients wins sustainability beauty award for active ingredient Eosidin. From left to right: Julie Droux, Senior Technical Marketing Specialist, Alexandre Lapeyre, Global Technical Marketing Manager Active Ingredients, Hanane Chajra, Head of biological evaluation department, Mathilde Frechet, Scientific Director and Ernesto Horikoshi, Head of Active Ingredients Unit. (Photo: Clariant)