BASF has launched Verdessence, a trademarked brand for the German chemical giant’s biopolymers made from renewable raw materials for personal care applications.
The branding coincides with the release of Verdessence Tara, a thickening and texturizing product.
Extracted from sustainable and regenerative Peruvian tara seed gum, BASF said it helps to create “smooth and shapely textures” suitable for “skin microbiome friendly formulations”.
The Verdessence biopolymers range includes the existing Verdessence Alginate (formerly Hydagen 558 P) and Verdessence Xanthan (formerly Rheocare XGN).
Completing the line-up is Verdessence Glucomannan (formerly Hydagen Clean), which was launched last summer.
“In the personal care industry, the demand for sustainable biopolymers is constantly increasing. We are attributing this to three main pillars: consumer awareness, regulatory developments, and ambitious sustainability agendas from manufacturers and retailers,” said BASF head of market development for Personal Care Europe Christian Somigliana.
“This is why we set out to build a holistic range of biopolymer ingredients for leave-on and rinse-off products. Verdessence puts our customers in the position to comply with upcoming regulatory changes and meet an increasing market demand,” he added.
In a related development, BASF has initiated a comprehensive sustainability programme - Responsibly Active - with a special focus on botanical sourcing for its bioactives portfolio.
The programme is based on three pillars: innovating products that protect natural resources, respecting and empowering people throughout the botanicals value chain, and reducing the climate impact and environmental footprint of its operations.
To reach this goal, BASF has defined clear commitments and action plans for the coming decade.
These include aiming for carbon neutral production sites and downstream transportation, while 100% of the botanical supply chains shall be traceable to the source and sustainably sourced, and 95% of raw materials shall be biobased or from abundant minerals.
