Evonik innovations in the beauty sector

The cosmetics industry is constantly reinventing itself. Its business is becoming more natural, more personal, and more digital. And this transformation is going deeper than ever before.

The Personal Care innovation center for cosmetics in Essen is the biggest of the seven cosmetics labs operated by this business line around the world. Here specialists develop and test new raw materials and active ingredients for the beauty sector in order to satisfy increasingly strict standards, organic certification requirements, and customer tastes. There is increasing demand for natural preserving agents, skin-like substances, and plant-based active ingredients.

Evonik has been producing ingredients for cosmetics and personal care products for over 90 years. Between the two World Wars, it was already providing the emulsifier TEGIN® for Nivea Creme, and it still does so today. Over the years, Evonik’s product range has grown—to begin with in the area of “functionals.” These are raw materials that give lotions, shampoos, and other cosmetics their basic qualities. They emulsify, stabilize, conserve, cleanse, and provide the desired texture and the right skin sensation.

In addition to functionals, Evonik is increasingly producing active ingredients, called “actives” for short. There’s an especially big demand for natural and skin-related substances such as ceramides, peptides, amino acids, sphingolipids, and hyaluronic acid, which can have a direct influence on microbiological processes in the skin. Evonik recently launched its first microbiotic skincare product, Skinolance®, on the market. Established manufacturers are also keeping an eye on these new developments as Evonik is literally going deeper with its innovations.