IFF lands Upcycled Food Association certification for Genencare OSMS range

24 Feb 2022 --- IFF’s bioactives range Genencare OSMS has received verification and certification from the Upcycled Food Association (UFA) for three of its ingredients. This certification marks IFF as the “first” ingredient supplier to receive the upcycled certificate in the active cosmetic category.

Genencare OSMS BA, Genencare OSMS MI, and Genencare OSMS CC are the ingredients in the Genencare OSMS bioactives range that have received upcycled certification.

“IFF has been an associate member of the UFA since 2019 and we are happy to achieve this recognition with our Genencare OSMS range,” Johan Jansén-Storbacka, director of Personal Care, IFF’s Health & Biosciences tells PersonalCareInsights.

“Across our business, we are reassessing applications for side-stream materials from manufacturing processes, conducting food waste-reduction pilot projects, commercializing new upcycled ingredients and further developing our pipeline of potential new opportunities. We believe this is particularly relevant for the personal care industry.”

According to IFF, sustainability remains a crucial factor for many customers when purchasing personal care and cosmetic items.

UFA’s Upcycled Certified Program
The UFA’s Upcycled Certified Program, which began in 2021, is the world’s first certification for upcycled products and ingredients. The program aims to legitimize otherwise discarded food as a reputable and dependable source of personal care ingredients.

“UFA allows brands to certify final products containing upcycled ingredients as Upcycled Certified. Consumers will be pleased to see products embodying upcycling,” says Jansén-Storbacka.Upcycled foods are made from materials that would otherwise be discarded and are produced through traceable supply networks (Credit: IFF).

The program also assures that such products are prepared to the most significant possible standards and assists customers in identifying products that contain recycled materials while also establishing a quality standard.

“We view this as ‘green science’ which is perfectly aligned with clean beauty, where ingredients and products innovation are aligned with consumer values,” adds Jansén-Storbacka.

“We will be launching a concept formulation collection around upcycling at In-cosmetics Global later this spring. We hope we can share our experience and drive knowledge on how upcycled ingredients can be used in more final products.” 

A byproduct of sugar beet processing
The bioactives in the Genencare OSMS range come from a byproduct of sugar beet manufacturing.UFA’s Upcycled Certified Program assists customers in identifying products that contain recycled materials while also establishing a quality standard.

“Sugar beet processing yields a low-value byproduct known as sugar beet molasses that was traditionally not used and therefore, wasted. With IFF technology applied to the de-sugarization process, sugar mills can now extract more sugar and the betaine molasses can be utilized and processed into the ingredients in the Genencare OSMS range in the form of highly purified crystalline powders,” says Jansén-Storbacka.

Natural osmolytes – betaine and inositol – are used in the Genencare OSMS range of ingredients which are sustainably derived from sugar beets and recycled from the sugar manufacturing side-stream.

“The benefits of Genencare OSMS range from skin moisturization and barrier strengthening to skin elasticity improvement.”

Previously, a roundtable of experts revealed the potential of upcycled ingredients in cosmetics and fragrances and how these may become commonplace in industry.

Meanwhile, UpCircle Beauty unveiled that consumers are becoming more aware of brands and what they stand for and the company urged brands to “take the next steps” in upcycled beauty.

By Nicole Kerr