Biosurfactant partnerships and facility investments push category toward scale

The personal care industry is directing its attention to biosurfactant innovation as consumers demand gentler and more sustainable solutions. Industry players are investing in the category by launching production facilities to expand global reach and venturing into partnerships to bolster surfactant capabilities.

British biosurfactant producer Holoferm has partnered with Organica UK to build an end-to-end biotech platform offering ingredient development, formulations, and manufacturing. The company’s partnership with the household-cleaning formulator will enhance production capabilities while consumer demand for fossil-free personal care products continues to grow.

Meanwhile, Turkish surfactants manufacturing company Kale Care Chemicals is raising its annual production capacity to 100,000 metric tons with the inauguration of a new production facility this month. The move enhances the company’s capabilities to serve its international partners, who make up over 62% of its exports. 

Sustainable surfactants at scale

Biosurfactant innovation is gaining momentum as personal care brands seek sustainable alternatives. 

Holiferm and Organica UK’s collaboration combines biosurfactant innovation and manufacturing capabilities with formulation and end-product abilities. The platform joins Holiferm’s fermentation-derived biosurfactant technology with Organica’s formulation and manufacturing of biodegradable, non-hazardous household and cleaning products.

“This is a milestone as we aim to build an iconic 21st-century biochemical company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes novel performance ingredients that are better for people and the planet,” says Charles Dimmler, CEO of Holiferm.

“This strategic combination accelerates our path to profitability and expands our ability to serve customers and partners with real applications development capability. It shows the link between science, engineering, and product development all the way through to store shelves.”

Holiferm positions biomanufacturing as one of the defining growth industries of the coming decade. The move will also improve the companies’ global availability and the accessibility of sustainable and cost-effective biosurfactants. The collaboration is supported by continued backing from FMCG investor Sadorp. 

“Joining forces with Holiferm allows us to combine our heritage in high-quality formulation with their groundbreaking biomanufacturing technology,” says Chris Arthur, owner of Organica UK.

“It is a natural partnership that provides our customers with even better, more sustainable cleaning solutions, while maintaining the trusted service and relationships they have come to expect.”

In another biosurfactant advancement, Kensing released its first fully upcycled, low-carbon, and palm-free biosurfactants in North America earlier this year. The launch catered to the growing pressure in the personal and home care industries to reduce environmental footprints without compromising affordability or consumer experience.

Syensqo is another company focusing its attention on sustainable surfactants, signaling interest from major industry players. In February, it expanded its laundry care solutions portfolio with a natural surfactant. The ingredient enables the formulation of sustainable liquid laundry detergents and hard-surface care products. 

The move leveraged a circular mass-balance approach that integrates upcycled raw materials while preserving product performance. 

Holiferm and Organica UK join a growing list of companies expanding their surfactants capabilities and exploring them from a sustainability perspective.

Investing in globalizing surfactant demand

Surfactant innovation demand has been picking up speed in the past few years based on sustainability and mildness concerns. This has created expansion opportunities for personal care players that work in the space. 

New production investments aim to strengthen the global supply of sustainable surfactant solutions. 

Kale Care Chemicals is tapping into surfactant growth with a manufacturing investment. The move represents a wider industry shift as personal care players in the surfactant space are increasingly investing in establishing regional footholds and improving international capabilities.

The surfactants, preservation systems, and specialty chemical ingredients manufacturer is opening its second surfactant and chemicals production facility in Gebze, Turkey. The move comes as the company is following a strategy of international growth and aims to enhance its ability to meet global partner demands. 

Kale Care Chemicals’ move strengthens Turkey’s surfactant manufacturing and supplying capabilities, representing a hub that connects Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. 

Improved manufacturing capabilities may position the country for better strategic distribution, as supply chain volatility caused by geopolitical tension in the region continues to pose logistical issues for the industry. 

Kale Care Chemicals generates approximately 62% of its revenue from exports and has customers and partners in over 40 countries, making international expansion a focal point of its operations.

The company aims to bolster its production flexibility, supply reliability, and agility in supporting customers and distribution partners globally through the new second facility. 

“The commissioning of our second Tuzla facility and the fact that our total annual production capacity has reached the 100,000 metric tons checkpoint mark the beginning of a new growth phase for Kale Care Chemicals,” says the company.

“With this investment, we are scaling up to serve our global customers while simultaneously strengthening our production flexibility and supply reliability. As we grow, we will continue to uphold the qualities that set us apart: our technical agility, our culture of close collaboration with customers, and our approach of developing solutions tailored to specific needs.”

Kale Care Chemical’s facility arrives as other industry players are strengthening supply chain resilience and expanding global manufacturing capabilities in the surfactant category.

Recently, Gattefossé validated five cosmetic ingredients at its manufacturing facility in Texas, US. The company said it is strengthening its manufacturing presence in North America, directly responding to its customers’ needs for more reliable supply chains and domestic sourcing options. The expansion gives North American customers more reliable access to domestically sourced surfactants, as well as emulsifiers and texture modifiers.

Similarly, late last year, BASF announced its expansion of production capacity for Alkyl Polyglucosides in Bangpakong, Thailand. The move strengthened BASF’s regional supply and established a more robust regional network while meeting the growing demand for sustainable surfactants.