The natural based global cosmetic ingredient is hot and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1% from 2019 to 2025 to reach $1,543.9 million by 2025 due to growing consumer desire to purchase natural based products. Much of this growth recently has been driven due to the interest in CBD containing products (1).
Natural based cosmetic oils and waxes are important ingredients used in personal care formulations to structure formulations and impart a smooth, soft, moisturized feel to skin or hair. Some have also been shown to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, soothe skin, reduce TEWL, reduce sebum and have antimicrobial activity.
All-natural cosmetic oils, using no chemical modification in their production, are comprised of liquid oils, waxes, butters, unsaponifiables, and essential oils.
Oils containing high levels of unsaturation are normally liquid and are prone to oxidation. Solid waxes or butters contain higher levels of saturated C12-30 chains and have melting points greater than ~40°C. Plant based oils/waxes/butters are normally mixtures of hydrocarbons, triglycerides, esters, and alcohols depending on the type of plant and processing used.
Plant unsaponifiables are ingredients that do not hydrolyze or saponify when reacted with caustic. These include tocopherols, sterols, carotenoids, hydrocarbons, alcohols, and triterpenoids. Carotenoids are highly colored antioxidants commonly found in plants that are potent scavengers of singlet oxygen free radicals. It is believed they are the important antioxidants that protect skin from free radical attack. The main sterols found in plants are beta sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These are similar to sterols like cholesterol needed to produce biologically active sterols in the body. Many have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity and help repair the skin barrier function (3,4).
Essential oils are concentrated hydrophobic liquids containing volatile chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are called volatile oils, ethereal oils, or as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted (ex. oil of clove). An essential oil contains the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived, and many are used to provide a natural scent to products (2). Additionally, many essential oils have antioxidant, antimicrobial, sebum reducing, and skin soothing properties.
Commonly used plant derived liquid emollients
- Castor oil (Ricinus communis seed oil) is obtained by pressing the seeds of the castor oil plant and is one of the most important seed oils produced globally with over 3,000 claimed uses. Castor oil is a very stable, pure, triglyceride which contains over 90% Ricinoleic acid. Castor oil is most frequently used in lipsticks due to its excellent pigment dispersing, shine, and lubricating properties. It is one of the most popular of all-natural based emollients currently sold.
- Squalane is a very popular methyl branched hydrocarbon emollient used in skin care products. It was originally extracted from shark liver oil but currently is produced from olive oil and by fermentation. Squalane has been shown clinically to reduce TEWL, increase cell turnover, and significantly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Jojoba oil (Simmondsia chinensis seed oil) is a stable, liquid wax ester produced from a shrub native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. Jojoba oil has an excellent skin feel and is quickly absorbed into skin. Recently in vivo skin efficacy tests have demonstrated that a 10% jojoba oil containing cream provided a significant improvement in skin radiance and a reduction in sebum versus a placebo cream containing 10% capric/caprylic triglyceride. It also was shown to significantly improve skin and lip hydration (5).
- Sunflower oil (Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil) is the oil extracted from sunflower seeds. It is probably one of the least expensive natural oils making it popular for use in foaming face and body wash products.
- Olive oil (Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil) obtained from pressing the fruit of the olive tree contains a high level of oleic acid and unsaponifiables. It is a monounsaturated oil making it more stable to oxidation.
- Coconut oil (Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil) is extracted from the meat of the coconut and contains large amounts of C8-C16 saturated fatty acids. Coconut oil is widely used in lip balms and recreational sunscreen products.
Commonly used unsaponifiables
- Unsaponifiables from shea butter, avocado oil, sunflower oil have been shown to help repair damaged skin barrier function, repair dry lip skin, and reduce irritation.
- Mixed tocopherols are natural isomeric mixtures containing alpha, beta, delta, and gamma tocopherols which are preferred natural antioxidants for stabilizing formulations against oxidation. Typical use levels are .05-.1%.
- Phytosterols are used to help form lamellar liquid crystal oil in water emulsions which have excellent skin moisturizing properties. Many phytosterols have been shown to have skin soothing, skin barrier repair properties.
Commonly used plant waxes and butters
- Cocoa butter (Theobroma cacao seed butter) is obtained from whole cocoa beans which are fermented, roasted, and then separated from their hulls. About 54–58% of the residue is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter has a melting point of ~28-34°
- Shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii butter) is obtained from the kernels of the shea tree. The unrefined grades are preferred for most applications since they have the highest concentration of unsaponifiables (6-17%) which have been shown to have skin soothing effects. Shea butter has a melting point of ~28-34°
- Carnauba (Copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax) is a wax extracted from the leaves of the Brazilian palm tree Copernicia Cerifera. It is comprised of ~85% wax esters and is one of the hardest and highest melting natural waxes available with a melting point of 80-86° It is typically blended with candellila and beeswax when formulating natural based stick products.
- Candelilla (Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax) is a wax extracted from the shrub Euphorbia cerifera by boiling the shrub and skimming off the resultant wax. Candelilla is a hard brittle, pale yellow wax with a melting point of 68-73°C that produces excellent gloss and structure. It is comprised mostly of hydrocarbons and wax esters.
- Beeswax (beeswax) is secreted by the glands of the honeybee and is used as a building material for honeycombs. Bees wax is an amber to yellow colored ingredient with a soft pliable structure with a melting point of 62-65° It is comprised of wax esters, hydrocarbons, and fatty acids.
- Sunflower wax (Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed wax) is comprised of mostly long chain, saturated esters. It has a melting point of 74-77°C and good oil binding characteristics with a broad range of emollients. Sunflower wax is a good replacement for beeswax for vegan compliant formulations.
Essential oils
- Tea Tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil) has good antimicrobial properties Studies have shown tea tree oil to be effective in treating mild to moderate acne.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) is currently a popular skin care ingredient. It is a cannabinoid CB2 receptor activator, TRPV-1 agonist, and releases beta endorphins. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, sebum reducing, and skin barrier enhancing properties.
- Copaiba oil comes from the resin of various species of the copaifera tree which grows in Brazil, Columbia, and other South American countries. It activates CB2 receptors which may help reduce irritation/itch. It has been shown to have skin soothing, wound healing activity, and antioxidant activity
Animal derived emollients
- Lanolin is extracted from the sheep wool grease and composed mainly of sterols, sterol esters, and hydroxyl acid esters. It has a long history of use in skin and lip products as a moisturizer and lubricant. Lanolin has been shown to be as effective as petrolatum in dry skin studies.
Trendy new exotic emollients
- CBD
- Abyssinian oil (Crambe abyssinian oil)-has similar hair conditioning properties as Argan oil
- Bulk Chia seed oil (Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil)
- Tamanu oil (Calophyllum Tacamahaca Seed oil)
References
- Emollients & Oils for Personal Care and Cosmetics Market Size, Share & Trends Report Emollients & Oils for Personal Care and Cosmetics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Sun Care, Deodorants, Skin Care, Hair Care), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 – 2025
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5328407_In_vivo_spectrophotometric_evaluation_of_skin_barrier_recovery_after_topical_application_of_soybean_phytosterols
- http://www.parmentier.de/gpfneu/Sterol_Esters.pdf
- https://www.ulprospector.com/documents/1508348.pdf
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Dear Seb: Thank you for letting us know about the resources. Updates have been made!
Hi. My makeup remover balm is ozzing oil or sweat. I already increased the wax ration but it still has that phenomenon. Should I add anything else?
Oil bleeding is usually caused by having the wrong amount and type of waxes in your formulation. Try adding some microcrystalline or Ozokerite wax to your formulation to reduce the crystallinity of the formulation.
Thanks for reading!
George