NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Primient unpacks eco-friendly color hair care collection
Key takeaways
- Primient has launched a Color Care Collection, highlighting a shift toward eco-friendly hair care.
- Consumer demand for plant-based, cruelty-free products is accelerating innovation in bio-based humectants.
- Global compliance with rigorous regulations, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, is crucial for market success in bio-based cosmetics.
Primient has expanded its hair color portfolio by launching a Color Care Collection, using Zemea propanediol. The collection builds on Zemea propanediol and Sensient Arianor’s previous water-soluble basic cationic dyes, developing its efficacious, safe, and cruelty-free offerings.
Personal Care Insights speaks to Sean Gahan, the technical services manager at Zemea, ahead of the tradeshow, about the ingredient’s performance and the impact of growing consumer demand for plant-based ingredients on bio-based humectants like Zemea propanediol.
The formulations range across shampoos, conditioners, and scalp sprays. They aim to address the growing demand for eco-friendly hair and scalp products that deepen color vibrancy, improve hair health, and mitigate dryness and damage.
Primient specializes in bio-based 1,3 propanediol, a sustainable, colorless, and viscous liquid obtained from renewable feedstocks, and offers sustainable solutions across hair care.
Zemea propanediol is said to have a multitude of uses, with applications as a preservative booster, to improve texture, and to work as a solvent and help deliver ingredients like actives (including ferulic acid, kojic acid, and niacinamide), fragrances, and botanical extracts.
Zemea propanediol’s Color Care Collection will be showcased at NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026 in New York City, US, from May 19–20.
Zemea’s Color Care Collection includes Purest Base Clarifying Shampoo, Chroma-Cashmere Deposit Shampoo, Silk Infusing Zemea Color Conditioner, Satin Strands Stay In Treatment, Vervain Vitality Scalp Serum, Oil-Free Scalp Oil, and Clear Scalp Spray.
Bio-based humectants
The Color Care Collection showcases eco-conscious hair care solutions.
Gahan explains that the demand for bio-based humectants, “specifically high-purity Zemea Propanediol,” is accelerating past its original marketing as consumers increasingly move toward clean beauty trends.
“While consumer demand for plant-based, ethically sourced ingredients is the catalyst, the sustained transition away from traditional petroleum-derived glycols (such as propylene glycol or butylene glycol) is currently being driven by a convergence of technical superiority, formulation precision, and stringent global regulations,” he says.
Building momentum toward clean beauty claims is also resulting in a growing pool of innovations in the segment, such as 1,3-propanediol. These innovations are enabling formulators to develop end products without having to compromise between performance and sustainability.
“That paradigm has flipped,” says Gahan. “Fermentation-derived 1,3-propanediol is now selected not just for its sustainability profile — such as being 100% bio-based and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but for its functional performance advantages.”
The personal care market is moving toward dermocosmetics and scientifically proven bioactive compounds, necessitating precision and consistency from solvent systems carrying the actives.
“When optimizing these complex formulations, precision is critical. Relying on generalized metrics is no longer sufficient; the industry is moving toward highly accurate modeling, such as utilizing volume fractions rather than mass fractions when calculating Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP), to perfectly map the solubility of delicate actives,” explains Gahan.
“In these high-precision, low-tolerance environments, the predictable purity and specific solvent properties of bio-based propanediol make it a far superior chassis than traditional glycols.”
Navigating global compliance
Sustainable ingredients lead the way in clean beauty innovations.
Regional regulatory frameworks are being reshaped, creating a complex matrix for multinational brands. Traditional synthetics are facing continuous scrutiny and restriction. Conversely, certified bio-based options simplify global compliance.
According to Gahan, achieving a Natural Origin Index of 1 (ISO 16128) and USDA BioPreferred certified 100% bio-content are rapidly becoming a baseline requirement. “However, the strategic advantage of high-quality bio-based propanediol lies in its ability to seamlessly clear strict international hurdles,” he says.
Gahan tells us that navigating regulations and compliance in the Asia-Pacific region is particularly vital as the region is presently driving the highest growth in bio-based cosmetics.
“Navigating rigorous frameworks, such as the Quasi-drug policies in Japan and South Korea, is essential for market entry. Consumers in these regions show a profound inclination toward fermentation-derived skin care components, making the bio-based origin a prerequisite for premium positioning,” he says.
Zemea propanediol’s performance
Zemea propanediol powers eco-friendly hair care formulations.
Gahan states that high-purity Zemea propanediol carries a multifaceted impact on formulation performance: “fundamentally altering how chemists approach the base chassis of personal care products.”
“By treating the glycol not just as a passive carrier but as a multifunctional active contributor, it unlocks entirely new positioning strategies across various product categories.”
The key benefits of the humectant are: moisture retention, sensory feel, and preservative efficacy.
For moisture retention, Zemea propanediol “provides immediate hydration that rivals glycerin and outpaces propylene glycol or butylene glycol,” says Gahan. This allows formulations to maintain long-term skin plasticity without the associated heavy residue.
In its sensoriality benefits, “the sensory footprint of 1,3-propanediol is significantly cleaner and lighter than legacy petroleum-derived glycols. It reduces the tackiness of other humectants and biopolymers in the formula.”
This characteristic enables formulators to increase the total humectant load for superior moisturizing benefits without creating an undesirable texture.
Gahan says that Zemea propanediol’s most strategic technical advantage may be its role as a preservative booster.
“By effectively lowering the water activity of a formulation and acting as a solvent that destabilizes microbial cell walls, it exhibits strong synergy with both traditional preservatives like phenoxyethanol and alternative organic acid systems.”
“This allows for a significant reduction in the primary biocide load, mitigating the risk of skin irritation while maintaining robust broad-spectrum protection.”
