German company Evonik recently inaugurated its new ester production plant at its Steinau site in Germany. This will help boost the biosolutions portfolio of the company's Nutrition & Care division, while enabling the cosmetics sector to offer more sustainable solutions.
Evonik uses its biotechnology platform to produce emollients by enzymatic esterification. The plant, valued at over 10 million euros, will significantly increase production capacity, enabling Evonik to meet growing customer demand for sustainable cosmetic emollients. This investment will contribute to reducing Evonik's climate footprint and its customers' cosmetic formulations.
"Emollients are no longer just about performance, they must also have a strong sustainability profile. This investment helps us to reduce our footprint, while supporting the beauty industry in its transformation, responding to the demand for more responsible and environmentally friendly solutions."said Johann-Caspar Gammelin, President of Evonik's Nutrition & Care Division.
Emollients are cosmetic oils and waxes that account for 10 to 25 % of cosmetic emulsions, but also 70 to 80 % of a product's climate footprint, according to Evonik. "Switching from a chemical to an enzymatic esterification process when manufacturing emollients can reduce the climate footprint by more than 60 %, argues the company. All Care Solutions production sites are powered exclusively by renewable energies. As a result, the climate footprint of this new production plant in Steinau is virtually zero from door to door."
Emollients manufactured by enzymatic catalysis have been part of the Evonik portfolio for almost 25 years. Produced from vegetable oils, they act as emollients in skin care products, making the skin soft and supple. To date, they have been produced at Evonik's sites in Duisburg, Germany, and Shanghai, China. Evonik's Steinau site is a hotbed of innovation for the cosmetics industry, as well as for specialized biodegradable surfactants and active substances. Steinau manufactures a diversified portfolio of over 200 products.
Sustainability is the guiding principle of Evonik's Care Solutions business sector. Numerous sustainability initiatives are underway, such as the Ecohance program, which aims to meet the highest sustainability ambitions for beauty and personal care applications by including new-generation raw materials or offering social-ecological benefits.
