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photo: Space_Cat/Shutterstock.com
photo: Space_Cat/Shutterstock.com

Solid cosmetics, mostly in the form of bars, are not only on the rise in hair care. What are the advantages and where are possible pitfalls in development? Dr Barbara Olioso gives an insight into the background.

Solid cosmetics, such as solid shampoos, have great potential for innovation in our industry during this age of climate change. The trend started in the UK, with Lush’s vision of reducing plastic waste, and saving many millions of plastic bottles. Now it is a mainstream trend with companies such as Garnier and Carrefour jumping on the bandwagon with key messages such as “zero plastic waste”, “recyclable packaging”, “94% plant based” and Cosmos organic.

Market attractiveness

One of the reasons that they look so attractive to consumers is because, packaging-wise, they are straightforward and guilt-free. The bars are usually packed in a simple cardboard box that is very easy to recycle and actually does get recycled, as the infrastructure is well developed for cardboard.

Liquid cosmetics packed in plastic bottles need to be properly disposed of at the end of their use, with only a small percentage getting properly recycled as the quality of plastic recycling infrastructure is very much location dependant.

Another interesting characteristic of this type of solid product is that they tend to be much more concentrated or active than their liquid counterparts, so they are lighter to ship around, saving on CO2 emissions that are linked to the transport of the finished product to the consumer or the stores.

Shelf life of solids

In terms of performance, there are some really good bases available (for example isethionates bases), that are mild, have good foaming properties and hold their shape over time. With regard to challenge testing, different testing protocols need to be used in order to assess the long-term microbial safety, as the standard protocols are designed for liquid products. In the handbook on cosmetic preservationthere are a few interesting multifunctional ingredients that are in a solid format that could be used for this application to boost microbial safety.

Once the bars are being used, they are more difficult to differentiate from one another and they need to be left to dry to avoid microbial issues. Solutions to this go from recommending storage of the bar in its original box once dry, to selling reusable boxes or tins to the user. With the current pandemic, where hygiene is of an even a greater concern for the consumer, in a domestic environment and with a little bit of collaboration, these products can promote sustainable innovation, and be presented to the premium as well as mass market in the cosmetic sector.

They might even inspire the packaging industry to develop new materials that are easier to recycle for the consumers. 

References:

1 Handbook for Cosmetic Preservation, Dr Barbara Olioso

Dr Barbara Olioso,

MRSC, The Green Chemist

Consultancy,
Wells, UK,

https://thegreenchemist.com 

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