AAK Personal Care has extended its Lipex line of shea-based functional emollients with an eco-designed ester. Lipex SheaLight (INCI: Not Provided) is intended as general-purpose emollient in a wide range of cosmetics. In response to the global trend toward making skin care products lighter, particularly body lotions and facial care products, the new ester targets cosmetics brands that want to develop safe, stable formulations combining light, dry sensorial properties with a better sustainability profile.
Producing esters requires an alcohol, and the company has developed the new ester using alcohol made from renewable vegetable sources. In addition, its esterification process uses less energy and more environmentally friendly catalysts than conventional direct esterification processes do.
The ester has been tested for eye and mucous membrane irritation, as well as for skin irritancy and sensitization potential. It has also been found to be readily biodegradable with no accumulation of breakdown products in the environment. The ester can be used alone or in combination with other esters, vegetable oils, shea butters, silicone oils and synthetic emollients when formulating everyday skin care products.
