On April 11, 2025, more than 1,000 manufacturers and companies of chemicals related to the cosmetics and personal care supply chain gathered in Amsterdam for In-Cosmetics Global, the global exhibition for cosmetic ingredients.
For years, the personal care industry has been searching for ingredients that can be claimed to be “naturally sourced,” and part of that effort has been to find alternatives to synthetic polymers. At last week's Global Cosmetic Ingredients 2025 in Amsterdam, several chemical manufacturers introduced or showcased bio-based alternatives to personal care polymers.
Personal care formulators primarily use polymers as film formers, fixatives in hair care products, and rheology modifiers (ingredients used to thicken formulations or change flow characteristics). Traditional options (e.g., polyacrylics and silicones) are not biodegradable.
Lubrizol: Rheology Modifiers for Modified Cellulose
At the show, chemical maker Lubrizol introduced a modified cellulose-based rheology modifier named Carbopol BioSense, a name that is significant because the Carbopol brand has been associated with high-performance polyacrylic acid ingredients for decades, and it's the flagship line of Lubrizol's personal care product line.
The BioSense version was developed in collaboration with Suzano, a Brazilian pulp and paper company. Carolina Ferrarezi, Lubrizol's global strategic marketing manager, said the company is producing the ingredient on-site at Suzano's eucalyptus pulp mill. She noted that with the availability of raw materials and a strong supply chain, Lubrizol will be able to expand production quickly as consumer goods manufacturers adopt the new additive.
Ferrarezi said the BioSense ingredient introduced at the show will compete directly with certain silicones. “It is not a 1:1 replacement for Carbopol” (Carbopol is a range of products with different consistencies and lubricity). But she expects this bio-based version to flourish as the polyacrylic acid line has since its invention in the 1950s at BFGoodrich.
Instability of bio-based polymers is changing
At a social breakfast at the conference, formulators expressed challenges with the stability of currently available bio-based polymer alternatives. Formulators can create a quality lotion or shampoo using only natural ingredients, but emulsions and suspensions can delaminate within months. Mainstream brands require shelf stability of three years or more.
Barbara Olioso, chief executive of GreenChemistConsultancy, said that this limitation may be changing because multinational chemical manufacturers are not risking their reputations on less stable ingredients. In addition, the market for such alternatives is growing because of concerns about plastic pollution in the environment.
BASF: Film-forming biopolymers from corn
BASF, another big supplier of personal care polymers, used the show to launch Verdessense Maize - a film-forming biopolymer derived from corn. BASF says the polymer can replace vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate polymers in hair mousses, clear spray stylers and lightweight conditioners.
The German company also demonstrated a bio-based ingredient blend that can replace polyacrylic acid in emulsions and other thick, opaque formulations. BASF is addressing this issue by using specialized software to help customers choose blends that typically consist of two to five ingredients. An example formulation shown by Bianca Seelig, a chemist in BASF's personal care team responsible for sustainable formulation design, uses the plant polysaccharide glucomannan, the algae biopolymer alginate, and tara gum.
Other chemical manufacturers have indicated that alternatives in their existing catalogs are also receiving increased attention.
Clariant has shared new data to support its partially bio-based polyacrylic acid alternative Aristoflex Eco T (claimed to be fully compostable). A representative from Sasol (Sasol) said the company has received a large number of inquiries about its bio-based n-dodecane, which is marketed as an alternative to cyclic silicone D5.
Ferrarezi acknowledges that Lubrizol is concerned that sales of traditional Carbopol products will be diverted. But at the same time, “natural” is where the market is going. We're the leader in rheology, and we want to stay there.
