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Sarah Koura 900202086

Dr. Rehab

CHEM 1003

Research Paper:

Chemistry, Cosmetics, & Skincare:

Going Green

Chemistry as a field is heavily linked to almost all aspects of our lives, even if we are not

aware of it. Different chemicals and compounds that we either find in nature or are man-made go

into the making of materials and substances that we use in our day-to-day lives. An important

example of this is the cosmetics and skincare industries; in any product that we use, whether on

our face or body, the ingredients list will always contain acids, chemicals, and compounds -

some healthy and other harmful to us – which is why chemistry is very important to understand

what to use safely and to understand what works best with our skin type. This awareness of what

types of harmful chemicals big companies put in our products has led to the focus on “green

cosmetics” and “green chemistry”, where organic ingredients are to be used in both makeup

and skincare products instead of the dangerous and toxic ones that are mainly used by

mainstream brands.

First, “Chemistry can be defined as the arrangement of processes and chemicals that

reduces or eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances, con- sidering the entire life

cycle of a product, including its design, production, use and final disposal. Green Chemistry

aims to prevent pollution at the molecular level, reduce the use of natural resources and reduce or

eliminate the hazards of existing products and processes” (Philippe et al.). This idea can be – and

is being - applied to the field of cosmetics in more ways than one; it is then important to
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understand what cosmetics are. “It is possible to consider a general definition of cosmetics based

on the purpose of these products and differentiate conventional cosmetics from green ones by

their composition and production process” (Philippe et al.). “In the United States, the Federal

Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)

defines cosmetics as (1) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on,

introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting

attractiveness, or altering the appearance (United States, 2002)”. The definition is pretty much

the same in diffrenet parts all over the world, meaning that the ingredients being used are also the

same. Now that the definition is clear, it is key to understand how the toxic chemicals would

negatively affect users; “Scientific evidences of some adverse effects caused by conventional

cosmetics and uncertainties about other effects have largely boosted demand for green cosmetics.

Some examples of these potential adverse effects on human health are: allergic contact dermatitis

caused by fragrances and preservatives (Hamilton & De Gannes, 2011), and toxicity caused by

heavy metals present in cosmetics (Borowska & Brzóska, 2015)” (Philippe et al.). It is evident

the chemists have begun to focus on going green in this area as it is mentioned that “The

scientific community has also been alerting to the presence of persistent substances with

bioaccumulation potential and bioactivity used in large quantities in personal care products. In

addition, UV filters, antiseptics and fragrances used in cosmetics may potentially undergo

biomagnification at higher trophic levels in the aquatic envi- ronment when dumped through the

sewage” (Peck, 2006; Brausch & Rand, 2011). Furthermore, Among the 1,358 natural substances

listed in the International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredients (INCI), 38% are classified as

hazardous to human health, causing skin irritation, severe eye damage and irritation or
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respiratory difficulty. In addition, 53 natural substances on the INCI list are classified as

carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction” (Philippe et al.).

Consequently, there has been a new trend in creating "green" cosmetics by incorporating

the notions of "green chemistry" into makeup and skincare products and lines. There are

several initiatives that scientists and chemists have started taking in order to grow the field of

green cosmetics, such as certification systems and toxicological evaluations. “Certification

systems verify the ingredients, processes, production, storage of raw materials, packaging,

labeling, energy use, waste management and labeling of producers, ensuring the quality of the

final product. Certified products have some advantages over others, including the control and

track of the raw material supply chain, increased confidence in the product brand, recognition

and differentiation of the product in the market” (Philippe et al.). For instance, the minimal

amount of natural components for the "natural cosmetics with organic portions" label from IBD

is 15%, whereas the minimum percentage for the "natural cosmetic" certification from Ecocert is

95%. As for the toxicological evaluations of the ingredients that are put into these products, “the

risk or safety assessment of plant-derived ingredients should involve the characterization of the

plant and its origin and the chemical characterization of the ingredient to be used. It is also

necessary to compare the material under analysis with others that have a history of safe human

use” (Philippe et al.). Moreover, it is mentioned that verifying the inherent variety of plant layers

is also important to the process; in addition to that, a mechanism to prevent chemical and

biological contamination during the production chain of these substances should be included in

the risk evaluation of botanical ingredients, which should also be in line with the existing safety

assessment paradigm. Therefore, “the choice of plant extracts should be based on the

confirmation of their biological activity and toxicological evaluation. Their stability and possible
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synergistic effects in cosmetic formulations should also be considered” (Philippe et al.).

According to the article “Industrial commitment to green and sustainable chemistry: using

renewable materials & developing eco-friendly processes and ingredients in cosmetics”, green

chemistry is very important for sustainable development in this field and companie smust keep 3

main principles in mind: (1) the use of renewable raw materials, (2) establishing high safety

processes with low levels of waste and toxicity, and (3) using new ingresdients with no

environmental or human harm. In this article, it is mentioned that they want to apply green

chemistry in their products by using these renewable ingredients that are not harmful, such as

polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, lipids, polyols, and amino acids, which would – and are being

– used in skincare and hair products. “By complementing the use of renewable raw materials,

synthesis routes and processes have been developed which satisfy the principles of green

chemistry by:

• Reducing the number of synthesis steps.

• Reducing solvent consumption and waste.

• Reducing energy consumption.

• Using reactants and solvents with low environmental impact and toxicity” (Franca and

Ueno).

This would allow for the full integration of green chemistry into the field of cosmetics which

would make products safer for use and to not harm the environment when thrown away.

Additionally, the article discusses the use of ceramides – “a lipid molecule which plays an

essential role in both water-retention function and barrier function in the stratum corneum the

outer layer of skin” (CeraVe) – because they help in skincare and hair protection; as people age,
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the percentage of ceramides and polar lipids, which make up the majority of skin lipids naturally,

drops dramatically, leading to changes in mechanical characteristics and issues with dry skin.

For instance, novel synthetic pathways and procedures were created many years ago to obtain

different ceramide families from natural fatty acids that comprise both the side chain and the

main chain. So, they suggest that creating a process that does that synthesis in 1 step will aid in

going green here; “a new process with only one reduction step of three functions (ester, oxime

and ketone) by sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy)alu- minium hydride (“Red-Al”), was developed

industrially11 leading to the 2-amino-1,3-octadecane-diol (mixture of 4 isomers) ceramide

precursor in a 75% yield as described in Scheme 1” (Franca and Ueno).

This figure represents how they plan on inntegrating green chemistry into the development of

products using 1 step instaed of many that would harm the environment and would not be as

toxic to the skin and hair as normal methods are.

Overall, “Integrating green chemistry principles into the development of new processes

or ingredients and the re-evaluation of existing processes and ingredients is a pivotal element of

sustainable development” (Franca and Ueno). It has become clear that cosmetic and skincare

companies must start integrating green chemistry into their production processes and ensure that

the ingredients that they put in their products are safe for human use and do not have harmful

effects on one’s skin and health. There are several initiatives that chemists and cosmetic
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researchers have begun to work on using different methods that will achieve the same goal of

integrating green chemistry into the field in order to create “green cosmetics” that will eventually

greatly benefit both the people using them by reducing toxic ingredients and the overall

environment by reducing waste, and achieving a healthy and sustainable environment with

healthy people that contribute to its well-being.

Works Cited

“Ceramides & Hyaluronic Acid: Their Role in Achieving Beautiful Skin.” What Do Ceramides
& Hyaluronic Acid Do? | CeraVe Australia, www.cerave.com.au/blog/everyday-skin-
care/ceramides-and-hyaluronic-acid#:~:text=A%20ceramide%20is%20a%20lipid,onto
%20water%20in%20the%20skin. Accessed 01 May 2024.

Franca, Camilla Custoias, and Helene Mariko Ueno. “Green Cosmetics: Perspectives and
Challenges in the Context of Green Chemistry.” Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente, vol.
53, 27 Apr. 2020, doi:10.5380/dma.v53i0.62322.

Philippe, Michel, et al. “Industrial Commitment to Green and Sustainable Chemistry: Using
Renewable Materials & Developing Eco-Friendly Processes and Ingredients in
Cosmetics.” Green Chemistry, vol. 14, no. 4, 2012, p. 952, doi:10.1039/c2gc16341a.