Plant-based ingredients transform from beauty trend to business strategy

Plant-based cosmetic ingredients are reshaping formulation strategies across the beauty industry. The shift is driven by growing consumer expectations for sustainability, transparency, safety, and ethical sourcing. 

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 17% growth in personal care launches with plant-based claims from July 2020 to June 2025. Hand, Bath & Shower was the leading category, with one out of three launches having plant-based claims from July 2024 to June 2025. 

Personal Care Insights speaks to Univar Solutions and TriNutra about how today’s beauty consumers want high-performing products from transparent companies that align with their values and prioritize efficacy.

“This rising demand reflects a broader industry transformation, where plant-based innovation is no longer just a trend, but a strategic imperative,” says Monika Ruiz Golcher, senior technical specialist, Beauty and Personal Care EMEA, Ingredients + Specialties at Univar Solutions.

“Brands are responding by partnering with suppliers that deliver innovative, bio-derived solutions without compromising performance or sensoriality. For example, Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions’ suppliers continue to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, efficacy, and innovation.”

Biotech and green chem

Biotechnology and green chemistry are emerging as drivers of the “next generation” of plant-based cosmetic ingredients by merging science, technology, and sustainability.

“By using renewable resources and cleaner processes, [biotechnology and green chemistry] enable the creation of innovative, high-performance ingredients with a reduced environmental footprint, which is perfectly aligned with consumer demand for cleaner and more responsible beauty,” says Ruiz Golcher.

Plant-based cosmetic ingredients are driving innovation in sustainable beauty formulations. For example, Cargill Beauty’s Actigum range of biopolymers, based on sclerotium gum, is produced via bio-fermentation, a sustainable biotechnology process with fewer manufacturing steps and less waste generation.

Sclerotium gum is created through the fermentation of sugar by the fungus sclerotium rolfsii, using fully renewable feedstocks such as wheat and sugar beet.

The jelly emollient BotaniDesign from Cargill Beauty is a 100% derived-natural, readily biodegradable, and plant-based alternative to conventional petroleum jelly. It is a complex composite created through the esterification of botanical derivatives in a one-pot process, providing 100% output capture completed through a solvent-free reaction.

Growth opportunities

Liki von Oppen-Bezalel, business development director at TriNutra, tells us that more consumers are turning to plant-based beauty products to support the animal/cruelty-free and vegan/vegetarian movements.

She adds that minimalist, “back-to-the-basics” beauty routines also bolster plant-based ingredient innovations.

“Consumers have high expectations of plant-based products and are seeking scientifically validated, fast-acting, and efficacious products that are also environmentally friendly.”

Von Oppen-Bezalel says actives have the most growth potential in the plant-based market due to the continual demand for innovation and new storytelling.

“[Plant-based] should also be scientifically and clinically proven and produce outcomes they can see and feel. Consumers are willing to pay more for these products, especially if they support flawless skin with even tone, texture, hydration, and brightening.”

She notes that emollients, colorants, and preservatives have good growth potential if proven to meet the current demand for natural, plant-based, clean label, and efficacious products.Upcycled plant-based ingredients reduce waste and boost performance in personal care. 

Company solutions

Recent innovations highlight how plant-based ingredient science is reshaping performance and sustainability in the beauty and personal care industry.

Univar names Dow’s Ecosmooth Rice Husk Cosmetic Powder, a COSMOS-approved silica obtained from upcycled rice husk, an agricultural by-product, as a solution offering a performant, sustainable alternative to mineral-sourced silica.

Similarly, Cargill Beauty’s FiberDesign Citrus is a performant texturizer and suspending agent with a quick-breaking texture, cooling effect, and freshness sensation. It combines bio-fermented sclerotium gum and upcycled lemon and lime fibers. This process valorizes 96% of lemon and lime juice side streams into valuable cosmetic ingredients. 

“We can also see breakthroughs in green extraction technologies. Normactive is pioneering in this space with its supercritical CO2 extraction technology expertise,” says Ruiz Golcher.

The technology produces oils in their purest form without solvents or alcohol, while recycling CO2 in a closed-loop system, reducing waste and improving environmental efficiency.

“Another exciting area is plant-derived alternatives to petro-based and synthetic polymers,” Ruiz Golcher continues.

Cargill Beauty’s recent launch of Actigum Care, a rheology modifier made from bio-fermented sclerotium gum and waxy corn starch, offers a versatile, sensorial alternative to petro-based polymers.

TriNutra investigated black seed oil’s mitochondrial functions and antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. This research yielded B’utyQuin, a plant-based beauty solution.

The ingredient is a full-spectrum black seed oil that provides ratios of 3% thymoquinone and very low free fatty acids (<1.25%) to help with anti-aging skin care. It can also aid with scalp and hair relief of dandruff, seborrhea, redness, and itch. 

“Multiple [plant-based] ingredients are explored to understand their mechanistic effects on cell vitality as well as expression of biomarkers and their effects on various organs beyond the skin, such as the brain and the gut,” explains von Oppen-Bezalel.

Univar Solutions highlights sustainable innovations like rice husk cosmetic powder. Most recent studies show that the plant-based ingredient reduces hair loss and increases hair density and growth.

The composition of bioactive molecules, along with linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and specific fatty acids, contributes to skin lubrication and better barrier functions that keep moisture in the skin, providing hydration, luminosity, firmness, and elasticity. 

The next frontier

TriNutra notes that consumers widely accept the beauty-from-within trend and could, therefore, be a major influence on the next phase of plant-based beauty.

“We expect consumers to continue to look for the next product that can help balance stress and match the inner calmness and flawless appearance,” says von Oppen-Bezalel.

She also predicts that plant-based solutions that help with inflammation, or InflammAging, are a growth point for companies in the personal care industry.

“Inflammation will likely be in focus. These products can support healthy sleep, which is directly linked to beauty. Research has suggested that high stress and chronic low-level inflammation can break down collagen and damage skin cells, leading to itchy, dry, red skin with uneven pigmentation.”

Univar Solutions’ Ruiz Golcher adds that the next frontier of plant-based cosmetics lies at the intersection of novel science and nature.

“Advances in biotechnology, green chemistry processes, upcycling solutions, and artificial intelligence will unlock new opportunities for high-performing, eco-friendly ingredients. This convergence of innovation and sustainability promises to reshape beauty formulations by delivering solutions that meet consumer expectations while respecting the planet,” she concludes.