Responsible by design: Engineering the future of regenerative beauty

The transition from extractive to regenerative beauty is no longer aspirational - it is structural. As regulatory pressure intensifies, carbon accounting becomes mandatory, and consumers demand verifiable sustainability, the industry is being forced to rethink how ingredients are designed at the molecular level.

The broader bio-based chemicals market was estimated at over $136 bn in 2024 and is projected to more than double by 2034, driven by regulatory incentives and technological advances in green chemistry, according to Global Market Insights. Meanwhile, the bio-based cosmetics segment alone is expected to grow from about $6.5 bn in 2024 to nearly $18.9 bn by 2034.

This signals a deeper shift: beauty is no longer about replacing petrochemicals, but it is re-engineering performance chemistry through biological design.

Four questions for:

Jennifer Vanderhoven

CEO

Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association

Interview by

Véronique Louis

How can new functional ingredient categories combine performance with 100% biodegradability?

Innovation is clustering in ingredient categories historically dominated by petrochemicals, especially where performance and environmental fate were once at odds. Surfactants are at the forefront of this transformation. Biosurfactants: multifunctional, biodegradable surface-active molecules produced by microorganisms, are gaining traction due to renewable sourcing and functional performance comparable to synthetic counterparts. Used in cleansers, shampoos, micellar waters, and emulsions, they can provide effective foaming, emulsification, and improved skin compatibility while reducing environmental impact. Companies such as Holiferm are scaling fermentation-derived sophorolipids with significantly reduced carbon footprints, helping bridge sustainable sourcing with high-performance formulation.

Traditionally, thickening and texture control has relied on synthetic acrylates or carbomers. Now, fermentation-derived polysaccharides and engineered biopolymers offer custom shear-thinning behaviour and elegant skin feel, with designed biodegradation pathways rather than persistence in the environment.

Beyond surfactants, the next wave of innovation is concentrated in structural performance polymers - the materials responsible for texture, stability, and film formation.

High-performance film-forming polymers, historically associated with microplastic concerns, are being reengineered. Bio-designed alternatives, including engineered polyesters and protein-based polymers, are delivering comparable durability and adhesion while meeting emerging microplastic and biodegradability regulations. Their development is integral to coveting high-performance, fully biodegradable systems. Companies such as Evonik and BASF are expanding portfolios of bio-based polymers specifically developed for personal care film-forming and rheology applications.

The shift is not simply about substituting like-for-like ingredients but expanding the molecular design space so that biodegradability and performance are co-optimised from the outset.

How is precision fermentation becoming a gamechanger for formulators?

Precision fermentation is redefining how raw materials are produced. Unlike traditional botanical extracts – which can vary by climate, soil, and harvest conditions and often contain heterogeneous mixtures - fermentation enables the production of consistent, ultra-pure molecules with defined structures and predictable performance attributes.

Companies, like twig, are applying AI-driven strain engineering and automation to design microbial systems capable of producing high-performance cosmetic ingredients with reduced environmental footprint.

For formulators, this molecular precision translates into predictable stability profiles, reduced batch-to-batch variability, simplified processing, and less reliance on over-formulation to compensate for extract variability. Functional attributes are engineered at the biosynthetic level rather than adjusted post-extraction.

From a safety and toxicological perspective, precision-produced ingredients offer greater clarity. Instead of assessing heterogeneous botanical mixtures containing unknown minor constituents, safety evaluation focuses on defined molecules with established structure–activity relationships. This improves allergen risk assessment, facilitates global regulatory compliance, and supports more robust toxicological profiling. In this context, molecular definition becomes a risk-mitigation tool as well as a performance advantage.

How are circular feedstocks and carbon reuse redefining life-cycle impact?

A core pillar of Responsible by Design is moving beyond simple plant-based sourcing toward truly circular feedstocks. This includes industrial by-products such as lignocellulosic sugars or glycerin from biodiesel production, as well as carbon capture and utilisation technologies that convert industrial emissions into usable chemical inputs.

Coty Inc. partnered with LanzaTech to produce ethanol derived from captured industrial emissions rather than agricultural feedstocks. This carbon-captured alcohol has been integrated into fragrances, including Gucci’s Where My Heart Beats Eau de Parfum, demonstrating a scalable route for transforming industrial CO₂ into a core cosmetic ingredient.

Similarly, Clean Food Group converts food industry by-products into microbial oils via fermentation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to approximately 90% compared with traditional agricultural oils. Replacing petroleum-derived glycols with sugar-fermented alternatives can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%.

Circular innovation extends beyond ingredients to materials. Shellworks transforms waste biomass into biodegradable polymers such as Vivomer^™, replacing conventional plastics in beauty packaging applications.

When feedstocks are derived from waste streams or recycled carbon, land use decreases, carbon intensity drops, Scope 3 emissions are reduced, and supply chains become more resilient. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is therefore evolving from a reporting metric to a design constraint applied at the R&D stage, guiding decisions on feedstock selection, process efficiency, and energy inputs.

Why is the beauty industry shifting from extraction to co-design?

The future of beauty lies not in extraction but in co-design – integrating biological innovation with environmental stewardship. This means not merely replacing petrochemicals but engineering next-generation molecules that are functional, safe, and regenerative.

Bio-based chemicals aren’t a trend - they reflect a fundamental economic shift. As regulatory frameworks tighten and performance expectations remain uncompromising, Responsible by Design is positioned to define the next chapter in cosmetic science.

We are moving from harvesting complexity to engineering precision. From linear supply chains to circular, low-carbon systems. From petrochemical dependence to regenerative performance chemistry.

The transition to the next frontier of beauty begins at the molecular design stage.

Please note:

Jennifer Vanderhoven, CEO, Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association, will be speaking at in-cosmetics Global on “Responsible by Design: The Future of Beauty,” in the Sustainability Zone Forum Theatre on Tuesday 14 April from 10:15. For more information and to register, visit the website here.