“Sustainable cosmetics”: Symrise aims to reduce environmental impact with SymFrequency technology

28 Apr 2023 --- Symrise has expanded its botanicals portfolio with hyper-frequency extraction technology, claiming it to be an environmentally sustainable solution maximizing molecular benefits. PersonalCareInsights sat down with Diana Campos Gomez, global product manager for Botanicals at Symrise, to discuss the latest SymFrequency technology.

Gomez tells us the company is “very concerned” about the environmentally sustainable approach the market seeks. “When working with botanicals, there are always new challenges concerning the personal care market trends. Because of that, it seemed necessary to work with new technology to get a new category of extracts, where we can produce botanicals of interest for personal care applications, providing proven efficacy,” she says.

“Two years ago, the focus was more related to the storytelling behind clinical, but nowadays, our customers are looking at other cost-benefit formulations and ingredients. We are presenting SymFrequency technology where we are working with a different type of extraction,” Gomes continues.

SymFrequency employs wave assistance to procure natural extracts with a unique phytochemical profile. “This technology allows us to work with very safe solvents – water or water-ethanol systems. The most interesting part is that we are getting in swift time with these kinds of solvents, a high level of molecules of interest in our new organic goods. And with this, we are aligned with the customer needs regarding the sustainable approach they require in personal care products. We are also aligned with our strategy to provide more sustainable solutions to our planet.”

“We can work with any botanical source – from fruits to flowers. The two groups of botanicals that we are launching for In-Cosmetics Global are sourced from upcycled food waste. One is sourced from apples called Actipone Apple Hyper GW and the other from pomegranate called Actipone Pomegranate Hyper GW.” 

Symrise produces Actipone Apple Hyper using upcycled apples.Upcycling for green transition
According to Gomez, upcycling food waste is a practical approach to environmentally sustainable solutions for personal care developments. 

“We’re not using an apple that can be part of the food industry because it raises questions of maybe this was an apple that somebody can eat, but is being taken for applications in the personal care industry. Here, we are working with something that is waste for the food industry.”

“You also add value to the farmers. They work on the agricultural side but are unaware of the cosmetic applications of their products. So we are not competing with other industries but providing something new to the community.” 

With the SymFrequency tool, the company upcycles the botanicals. The extraction method of high-content molecules also provides in vitro clinical study results to demonstrate applications for personal care ingredients. 

“For the upcycling of apples, we are working with a farmer in France. They start the cultivation or the flowering of apples in April-May. With these crops, farmers need to remove the smaller fruits in the middle of the season to provide more space for the potentially high-quality fruits to grow.” 

“The farmers removed the early-stage apples between June and July but did nothing with them. Those are the apples that we are working with. We take this waste to apply SymFrequency technology and produce the Actipone Apple Hyper.” 

Molecular benefits
The Actipone Apple Hyper reportedly has antioxidant, skin brightening, and moisturization in vitro benefits.

“Working with early-stage apples was of interest to us as well because it’s well established that there is a difference in the molecular composition of early-stage apples compared with matured apples. Two ingredients are of interest for cosmetic application – the chlorogenic acid found in other sources like coffee or tea, and the phloridzin that is unique for early-stage apples.”Actipone Apple Hyper and Actipone Pomegranate Hyper boast 99.3% natural origin content.

“These two molecules are of interest for skin brightening, soothing benefits, as well as antioxidant properties. During the efficacy test, we also found modulation for hyaluronic acid for moisturizing actions in the skin.”

Additionally, Gomez details that Actipone Pomegranate Hyper is upcycled from pomegranate waste sourced from France. “We receive the leftover pomegranate peels after the production of pomegranate juice. You have a huge quantity of pomegranate pomace available because 40-50% of the weight of pomegranate is just the peel – so there is a lot of waste.” 

“We took one part, we applied our SymFrequency technology, and thanks to that, we get the molecules of interest – ellagic acid and punicalagin, which is unique to pomegranates. In vitro, results show antioxidant and soothing benefits. It is suitable for personal care formulations to treat stressed skin and skin that needs more hydration.”

Botanical technology
Gomez emphasizes that Symrise is focused on working with highly natural content that is also traceable. Actipone Apple Hyper and Actipone Pomegranate Hyper boast 99.3% natural origin content and are sourced from Normandy and Provence in France, respectively. 

“With the SymFrequency technology, we provide the most sustainable way of extraction. We also use SymFrequency to discover new active ingredients. We are targeting a worldwide demand of the market in personal care.”

Symrise works with formulators to develop personal care ingredients and support them with knowledge and dosage recommendations to produce safe products.

By Radhika Sikaria