Symrise upcycles white beet molasses to replace skin and hair care polyquaterniums

02 Jul 2024 --- Symrise unveils SymFeel Quat Green, a plant-based alternative to polyquaterniums for skin and hair care products.

Personal Care Insights speaks with Rita Cartaxo, global product manager of Hair Care at the chemicals company, to learn more about its latest launch.

“SymFeel Quat Green was developed to target the already known benefits usually linked with synthetic poly quats while delivering important sustainability features, such as biodegradability, high natural index, plant-based sourcing and traceability,” she adds.

More use for molasses
Symrise selected white beet molasses for upcycling since it is the “base of sugar production in Europe.” 

During the process of sugar obtention, residues — the molasses — are generated. This has no value for the food industry, which generates high volumes of materials to be discarded. 

Cartaxo says that “white beet is the base of sugar production in Europe.”“Based on a specific extraction, separation and purification process of these molasses,  we can obtain one of the starting raw materials used in the SymFeel Quat Green’s synthesis — the trimethylglycine,” adds Cartaxo.

“We need to think about our environmental impacts as a cosmetic industry. Our planet is already calling us to a green transformation and new and innovative technologies sourced from renewable feedstock and upcycling, as SymFeel Quat Green are more and more requested.”

Hair and body care
Symrise touts the sugar beet extract’s ability to replace cellulosic polymers polyquaternium 7 and polyquaternium 10 in hair care formulations, such as shampoos and conditioners. 

“The ingredient presents a remarkable ability to deposit on the hair surface, forming a substantive film that improves hair conditioning. Hair conditioning can be decoded as improved compatibility, lubricity of the fibers, smoothness, better cuticles condition and healthy appearance, frizz control, shine and anti-breakage effect (after repeated grooming) due to the slippering feel reducing the friction forces between the comb and the hair,” shares Cartaxo.

The “multi-functional ingredient that can also be used in face and body care due to its ability of “film formation” on hair surface, which Cartaxo says “was also observed for another substrate — the skin,” imparting a “velvety skin feel and perceived softness of the skin.”

By Venya Patel, with additional reporting by Anita Sharma