The new natural: Probiotics and marine actives redefine clean beauty and home care

The demand for natural and organic ingredients continues to accelerate as consumers increasingly seek out cleaner ingredient lists, transparent sourcing, and scientifically supported claims.

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 17% average annual growth in Personal Care launches carrying natural and organic claims. The growth underscores how “green” positioning has shifted from a niche to a mainstream expectation.

As this momentum builds, suppliers are racing to deliver novel natural ingredients that meet performance and sustainability demands. 

Personal Care Insights speaks to experts at Univar Solutions and Marinova to understand how brands are navigating rising expectations for natural claims across different product categories, and how efficacy and environmental responsibility remain top priorities in innovation.

“Brands are actively seeking natural and efficacious ingredients that are supported by a transparent and sustainable supply chain,” a Marinova spokesperson tells us. 

Natural cleaning

Consumer demands for organic and natural personal care products are extending to the home care aisle.

Univar Solutions is witnessing consumers taking a more holistic approach to health, which is causing personal and home care to blend into new formats that borrow traits from each category.

Matt Anderson, global marketing manager for Home Care and Industrial Cleaning at Univar Solutions, tells us that sustainability claims are increasing in cleaning products.

Probiotic cleaners work by supporting microbial balance on surfaces rather than eliminating all bacteria. “Consumers are a lot more demanding of what they want from their products in terms of sustainability. They want them to work well, be sustainable, and be ethically sourced.”

According to Anderson, “sustainability is reshaping the laundry and dishwashing space, with people wanting these eco-friendly formulations.”

He points to probiotics as a natural ingredient formulators can use to help meet sustainability demands in cleaning, also mirroring the microbiome-friendly trends popularized in personal care.

Anderson explains that probiotic cleaning is shifting the traditional mindset around hygiene by prioritizing microbial balance rather than total elimination.

Probiotic cleaning uses naturally occurring bacteria to compete with harmful microbes through a mechanism known as competitive exclusion. According to Anderson, “some formulators are shifting toward microbiome-friendly solutions.”

“Cleaning is not always about actually eliminating all the microbes. It’s about creating a balance between good and bad bacteria. Scientific evidence is showing that maintaining that beneficial surface bacteria can actually support healthier homes,” he says.

Another advantage of probiotics in home care is longer-lasting performance. “Probiotic microbes remain active for up to 72 hours once they’ve been applied, which means that you have a much longer lasting clean with a microbial-based product,” he adds.

In this regard, the products continue to clean after the user has stopped using them. This extended activity reduces the need for repeated cleaning and is particularly beneficial for hard surface and bathroom applications where prolonged action is preferred.

“There is still an element of consumers that want to kill 100% of bacteria and germs, but actually, it’s only quite a small amount of bacteria that are harmful.”

Diving for anti-pollution ingredients

The rising demand for natural and organic ingredients is driving beauty brands to explore marine ecosystems as a source of supply. 

Marinova explains that organic fucoidans “tick all the boxes” for premium personal care products as they are natural, efficacious, sustainable, and are supported by a range of quality accreditations.Marine ecosystems are becoming key sources for high-value, natural cosmetic ingredients. 

Fucoidan is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed. It has multiple biological benefits due to the compound’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immunomodulatory properties.

“High purity, certified organic fucoidans are of increasing interest to formulators seeking hero ingredients for both topical and nutricosmetic use,” says the Marinova spokesperson. 

They explain that, beyond premium skin care offerings and topical formats like creams, gels, and serums, fucoidans are also useful in beauty-from-within formulations.

“Fucoidans are novel ingredients with multifunctional benefits that provide a common link through both topical and oral product ranges.”

According to Marinova, the ingredient’s popularity has increased so drastically that the company’s total production volume has more than doubled over the past three years. “This growth is being fuelled by consumer demand for natural products and the rising prevalence of lifestyle-related conditions.”

“There are now over 4,000 published papers attesting to the bioactivity of fucoidan in numerous human health indications, including skin care and dermal health.”

Formulators seeking compounds that provide protection against environmental damage and support skin barrier function are increasingly turning to natural marine metabolites, according to the spokesperson.

The growing awareness of the impact the environment has on one’s skin is driving an increase in demand for products with anti-pollution claims.

Innova Market Insights data indicate a 4% CAGR increase in personal care launches with anti-pollution claims globally between 2020 and 2024. In this space, the role of fucoidan in formulations becomes more apparent.

Marinova has developed two high-purity, certified organic fucoidan extracts for topical skin care applications, Maritech Reverse and Maritech Bright.

“Supported by an extensive dossier of scientific evidence, they offer exceptional benefits for skin soothing, protection, brightening, healthy aging, and balancing skin microbiome,” the spokesperson says.Ingredient suppliers are adopting renewable energy, by-product repurposing, and high-quality standards. 

Ensuring credible claims

As natural and organic ingredients face heightened demand, traceability is becoming a regulatory requirement and a consumer expectation.

Marinova explains that it has built a secure and sustainable supply chain over the course of two decades that is closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“As natural and organic claims rise to prominence, formulators are advised to delve into the supply chain and quality assurance protocols of potential ingredient suppliers,” the Marinova spokesperson says.

The company says it adheres to meticulous quality assurance protocols and safety standards, where it implements rigorous testing procedures and traceability systems throughout its operations.

“These include sustainable hand-harvesting of wild seaweeds from pristine ocean waters, proprietary green chemistry extraction technology, the capture and repurpose of by-products, and the 100% use of renewable energy.”

At Univar Solutions, Anderson adds that sustainability and ethical claims must be clearly communicated to be credible.

“Eighty percent of launches over the last few years have had sustainability claims — this is something consumers are growing a little bit skeptical about,” he says.

He explains that it is essential for brands to be transparent about their sustainability claims and support them with scientific evidence.