In-cosmetics Global 2025 live: Biosyntia unveils upcycled citrus anti-dandruff solution

At In-cosmetics Global 2025 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Personal Care Insights speaks with Joe Power, sales director at Biosyntia, about its upcycled ingredient for anti-dandruff shampoo and serum, made from citrus oil — CitriVive. The multifunctional ingredient targets fungus while being antimicrobial, hydrating, and soothing. 

Power details how the product stands out on the market by featuring a natural anti-dandruff active, while most competing products are formulated from chemical sources or “only target one problem.”

“They might target the cause of dandruff, which is very often Malassezia furfur (M. furfur), whereas our ingredient is multifunctional. So it targets the [fungus] and reduces it, stopping the dandruff while soothing the scalp,” he notes.

CitriVive disrupts the growth of M. furfur by balancing the scalp microbiome and reducing dandruff’s intensity and frequency. M. furfur is a fungus that causes infections on the skin leading to dandruff or acne. 

Biosyntia emphasizes that dandruff is not only caused by fungus, but that the main issue is a weakened epidermal permeability barrier, making the scalp extra vulnerable to environmental pollutants and microbial toxins. 

Sustainable production

The product is non-GMO and relies on natural fermentation, which also results in a lower carbon footprint as the fermentation process relies less on petrochemical synthesis. 

Joe Power, sales director at Biosyntia at In-cosmetics Global 2025. The production process allows the product to achieve high purity and quality while remaining bio-based.

Power details: “All of our products are produced from fermentation. It reduces the reliance of water, energy, and heat within the process. So everything that we create is helping toward sustainability.”

He emphasizes that this ingredient is created from upcycled citrus peel. “The citrus itself normally goes to the beverage industry, and the peel is a waste product, so we’re managing to bring natural, sustainable ingredients.”

High efficacy, low chemicals

Biosyntia conducted a study to test the ingredient’s efficacy with 20 volunteers. Over four weeks, the participants used the products three times a week, followed by a dermatological assessment and feedback.

The company says that at a dose of 0.2%, CitriVive is more efficient than high doses of propanediol caprylate (0.5%), while being more gentle. Compared to climbazole at a dose of 0.5%, its efficiency was similar.BioSyntia’s booth at In-cosmetics Global 2025.

The study results measuring the inhibition of M. furfur’s growth showed that CitriVive reduced it by 85.98% with a 0.2% dose, propanediol caprylate by 81.12% at a 0.5% dose, and climbazole by 84.52% at a 0.5% dose. More study results will be revealed at In-cosmetics Global 2025.

For future studies, BioSyntia will research the microbiome balance of the scalp. 

Power tells us that creating a microbial balance on the scalp is crucial for healthy hair, and says the study addressing this will be ready in around six weeks.

“People are looking at the entire microbiome because we know a lot of the synthetic ingredients can kill everything that’s on the scalp,” he stresses.

With live reporting from Joshua Poole at In-cosmetics Global 2025, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.