Evonik has cut the ribbon on a production plant for cosmetic emollients at its site in Steinau, Germany.
The double-digit million-euro plant will significantly increase Evonik’s production capacity to cater for growing customer demand for sustainable emollients.
Evonik is leveraging its biotechnology expertise to produce emollients via enzymatic esterification.
Produced from vegetable oils, they act as emollients in skin care products, making the skin soft and supple.
Up to now, they have been produced at Evonik's sites in Duisburg, Germany and Shanghai, China.
Emollients are cosmetic oils and waxes that make up 10-25% of cosmetic emulsions. However, currently emollients account for 70-80% of a product’s climate footprint.
Switching from a chemical to an enzymatic esterification process when manufacturing emollients can reduce the climate footprint by more than 60%.
As Evonik’s production sites are powered exclusively by renewable energy, the climate footprint at this new production plant in Steinau drops to virtually zero from a gate-to-gate perspective.
“Emollients are no longer just about performance, they also need to have a robust sustainability profile. This investment helps us lower our footprint, while supporting the beauty industry in its transformation – meeting the demand for more responsible, eco-friendly solutions,” said Johann-Caspar Gammelin (pictured, far right), president of the Nutrition & Care division at Evonik.
The Steinau site is a stronghold for innovation for the cosmetics industry, as well as biodegradable specialty surfactants and active substances.
Steinau manufactures a diverse portfolio of over 200 products.
