Organic powder

Additives are an important part of formulations for personal care and colour cosmetics. What additives can you provide and what makes them special compared to similar products on the market?

Kathrin Schilling: We are a specialist manufacturer of fine micro-powders – entirely made from circular resources. As our production is based in Southern Spain, we have focused on transforming local raw materials, especially olive stones, a valuable side stream of the olive oil production. 

We process only one, superior quality of olive stones, which allows us to make pure, odourless powders. Besides recovered olive stones, we transform other fresh side streams such as almond shells, apricot stones, peach stones, pistachio shells, and argan shells. The latter are a by-product of the argan oil production in Morocco and distinguish themselves by a characteristic colour and excellent physical and chemical properties. Moreover, they are always organic as they come from certified cooperatives run by local women.

□How do they work? What products can they be used for?

Kathrin Schilling: They are very versatile in use. First and foremost, they work as skin abrasives or exfoliants. Traditionally, plastic or mineral beads have been used for scrubbing effects. In light of legal requirements to phase out synthetic particles, fruit stone powders are valid alternatives due to their compostable nature. This applies for both fine cosmetics and industrial cleaning products such as hand soaps.

More innovative applications include the incorporation into decorative cosmetics as binders and texture additives. Thanks to our technology, we can produce powders as fine as 25 microns, which make excellent rheology modifiers in powdery or liquid makeup items. Their attractive beige and brownish tones make them effective pigments and matting powders, as well as carriers for (natural) pigments. Recent studies have validated BioPowder as a primary ingredient in natural colour cosmetics, which enabled the replacement of conventional ingredients like talc and polymer powders.

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Sustainability is an important part of the brand philosophy, how do you meet those expectations?

Kathrin Schilling: Sustainability, i.e. ethical and environmentally friendly practices in all stages of activity, is our DNA. We are part of an ecosystem where by-product recovery (waste reduction) goes hand in hand with resource-saving manufacturing methods. Our micronisation technology works without any chemicals, only requires minimal amounts of water, and ensures safety for our staff. As part of our policy, we abstain from processing any foodstuff of crops, and source all our raw materials locally from valued partners – mostly family-run olive oil mills.

Sustainability is an important part of the brand philosophy, how do you meet those expectations?

Kathrin Schilling: Sustainability, i.e. ethical and environmentally friendly practices in all stages of activity, is our DNA. We are part of an ecosystem where by-product recovery (waste reduction) goes hand in hand with resource-saving manufacturing methods. Our micronisation technology works without any chemicals, only requires minimal amounts of water, and ensures safety for our staff. As part of our policy, we abstain from processing any foodstuff of crops, and source all our raw materials locally from valued partners – mostly family-run olive oil mills.

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How can your biological additives help to reduce microplastic in personal care products?

Kathrin Schilling: BioPowder compostable powders can produce similar functional effects as conventionally used:


Polyurethane (PU) or polyethylene (PE) flour in abrasive formulations

(Polyethylene)Nylon 12/Nylon 6 as bulking agents, 
stabilizers and rheology modifiers

(Styrene)acrylates copolymer as binding agents or colour flakes, e.g. in cosmetic glitter

Butylene/ethylene/styrene copolymer for viscosity control

Besides, they can replace silica powders or other mined mineral additives in abrasive oral care products.

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What are the difficulties in production and formulating?

Kathrin Schilling: In production, certainly the access to quality raw materials. Changing weather conditions in the Mediterranean region and the resulting drought have recently reduced the output of fruits. As a result, by-product volumes fluctuate, which has an effect on availability and prices. Another challenge is to ensure constant quality in our natural powders. Logically, natural raw materials can have varying colours, moisture levels, and compositions. Thankfully, our state-of-the-art technology facilitates accurate quality monitoring, and foresighted planning has enabled us to produce regardless of seasonal constraints.

Regarding formulation challenges, customers have reported the need to adapt existing formulations, especially to replace microplastics. Fruit stone powders differ from polymer particles in terms of density/weight, reactivity, and absorption behaviour. Also, certain formulations have conventionally had a white colour and contained mineral particles. Fruit stone powders, in turn, have light beige tones, which might require pigments to come close to the original aesthetics. However, the market has seen increasing colour tolerance and even a preference of visibly natural ingredients.

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How could the ingredients develop in the future? How could even more sustainable formulations look like?

Kathrin Schilling: Our plan is to further customise our powders, either mechanically or chemically. The former involves ultra-fine powders with enhanced dispersion behaviours. The latter is about functionalisation of the particle surface to modify the powders’ reactivity. This includes hydrophobicity treatments, e.g. for the use in waterproof formulations, with bio-based coupling agents. Another project is to make use of individual components of fruit stones such as lignin or cellulose. 

When talking about sustainability in cosmetics, we also need to consider packaging. Most pots and tubes are made of plastic or coated paper, materials that require industrial recycling. We believe that compostable packaging can be a solution to the global waste problem, which is where another application of BioPowder comes into focus: lignocellulosic particles such as olive stone powder are effective functional fillers for bio-biobased composites. In combination with biodegradable binders, they can create zero-waste packaging with an aesthetic, nature-inspired look

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What trend would you like to see in the future?

Kathrin Schilling: The uncomfortable truth for the 
industry is that, in order to embrace higher levels of sustainability, we need to promote conscious consumption. At BioPowder, our guiding principle is “reduce – reuse –
recycle”, which attributes a central role to the consumer. Buying less and choosing more sustainable products is probably the most powerful strategy for a reduced overall carbon footprint. 

Another trend should be the reduction of single-use items in cosmetic packaging. Using recycled materials for packaging is certainly a step in the right direction, and so are refill schemes offered by brands to extend the lifespan of packaging items. 

Many cosmetic products are luxury items and follow the trends of the fashion industry. This is where compostable packaging can be a particularly great advancement. 
Superior materials, stability, and attractive designs are no contradiction to environmentally friendly solutions that leave little to no trace at their end of life.