The Ultimate Guide to Upcycled Cosmetic Ingredients
Functional, Sustainable, and Ready for Formulation.
For many years, when formulators talked about upcycled ingredients, they were usually referring to botanical extracts or active ingredients obtained from food industry by-products.
Today, that's no longer the case.
The cosmetics industry has made enormous progress, and upcycling has moved far beyond marketing-friendly extracts. We now have access to functional ingredients derived from agricultural and food production side streams—ingredients that don't just add a sustainability story but actually build the formulation.
As a formulation chemist, I recently spent some time researching what's currently available on the market, and I was genuinely impressed by how quickly this area is evolving.
If you're looking to formulate more sustainably, this article is your shortcut.
Can we formulate a cosmetic product using 100% upcycled ingredients?
The short answer is...
Almost.
There are now upcycled alternatives available for many of the key ingredient categories used in cosmetic formulation, including:
Emollients
Emulsifiers
Rheology modifiers
Surfactants
Waxes
Exfoliants
Preservative boosters
Colourants
Powders
Botanical extracts
Active ingredients
Some formulation gaps still exist, and in many cases the cost remains higher than conventional ingredients. However, the toolbox available to formulators is growing every year.
Below are some of the most interesting examples I found.
Upcycled emollients
One of the most exciting developments is the growing range of olive-derived emollients.
EPFBiotek has developed a portfolio of emollients produced from by-products of the olive oil production process.
These include ingredients such as:
Plant-derived squalane
Olive oil unsaponifiables
Besides offering excellent sensory properties and acting as natural silicone alternatives, they also provide genuine skin benefits by:
Supporting the skin barrier
Improving moisturisation
Nourishing the skin
Upcycling isn't limited to olive-derived ingredients. Today, a growing number of upcycled vegetable oils are also available, allowing formulators to choose sustainable alternatives without sacrificing performance. Examples include macadamia, grapeseed, apricot kernel and avocado oils, recovered from food production side streams and given a second life as high-quality cosmetic ingredients.
Upcycled emulsifiers
Emulsifiers are another area where innovation has accelerated. Some of the best-known examples include olive oil-derived emulsifiers produced from by-products of olive oil manufacturing:
Olivem® 1000 Hallstar
Olivem® 1000 is one of the best-known examples of an upcycled emulsifier. It is produced from olive oil production by-products and is designed for oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. It is widely used in facial creams, body lotions, moisturisers and lightweight emulsions.
OLEAMULS® WO Greengredients
OLEAMULS® WO is another olive-derived upcycled emulsifier, but unlike Olivem® 1000, it is designed for water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. It is particularly suitable for richer creams, balms, cold creams, and products where a more protective, water-resistant film is desired.
ECOHANCE® Care PS3 Evonik
ECOHANCE® Care PS3 is an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsifier developed from renewable plant-based feedstocks, including olive-derived raw materials. It can be used to formulate a wide variety of creams, lotions, and other emulsion-based skincare products.
Upcycled natural thickeners
Natural rheology modifiers are another category where upcycling has made significant progress. These ingredients don't just increase viscosity—they influence texture, stability, suspension, spreadability, and overall sensory feel of the formulation.
Some of the most interesting examples include:
Up-Citrus Rheo® Sinerga
Derived from upcycled citrus peel pectin, Up-Citrus Rheo® is a multifunctional natural rheology modifier designed for emulsions and aqueous systems. It provides a smooth, elegant texture while improving viscosity and emulsion stability. Unlike many traditional gums, it offers a lighter skin feel with reduced tackiness, making it particularly attractive for premium skincare formulations.
FiberDesign Citrus Cargill
Produced from upcycled citrus peel fibers, FiberDesign Citrus functions as a natural thickener and stabiliser. The citrus fibers create a three-dimensional network that helps suspend particles, improve water binding, and enhance emulsion stability. It can also contribute to a richer cream texture while supporting clean-label and sustainable formulations.
Tamavisco® DKSH
Tamavisco® is a natural thickener obtained from upcycled tamarind seeds, a by-product of the food industry. It produces smooth, creamy textures with excellent stability across a broad pH range and offers a pleasant sensory profile with minimal stringiness. It is particularly suitable for creams, lotions, gels and surfactant-based products.
VALIDA® Cellulose Rheology Modifiers Sappi
VALIDA® is a range of cellulose-based rheology modifiers produced from sustainably sourced wood side streams. These ingredients provide efficient viscosity building, suspension, and emulsion stabilisation while offering a natural alternative to many synthetic polymers. Depending on the grade selected, they can create anything from fluid lotions to rich creams and are suitable for a wide range of personal care applications.
Upcycled surfactants
Natural saponins obtained from tea production by-products are now commercially available, including:
Saponin+ Lessonia
Saponin+ is produced from tea production by-products. It functions as a natural cleansing and foaming ingredient suitable for rinse-off cosmetic products.
Foamin'Tea NaturelBasics
Foamin'Tea is another natural surfactant obtained from upcycled tea leaves remaining after tea production. It provides gentle cleansing while offering an excellent sustainability story. One characteristic to consider is its naturally dark colour, making it more suitable for coloured formulations.
One important consideration when working with tea-derived saponins is that they are supplied as yellow-brown powders, which, when dissolved in water, produce a dark brown solution. As a result, they are generally more suitable for naturally coloured formulations rather than crystal-clear cleansers or transparent shower gels. However, they work particularly well in products where a natural botanical appearance complements the product concept.
Upcycled waxes
One of the most exciting developments in this category is the recovery of waxes from agricultural and food industry side streams. Instead of allowing these valuable plant materials to go to waste, they are purified and transformed into high-quality cosmetic ingredients, supporting a more circular approach to ingredient sourcing.
One of the leading suppliers in this area is KahlWax, which offers an impressive range of waxes obtained from renewable plant sources and agricultural by-products.
Some examples include:
Rice Bran Wax – recovered during rice bran oil production. It is commonly used to increase hardness and stability in lip balms, lipsticks, sticks, and emulsions.
Sunflower Wax – obtained as a by-product during sunflower oil refining. It is valued for its structuring properties and is widely used in natural balms, creams, and colour cosmetics.
Orange Wax – produced from the peel remaining after orange juice production. Besides acting as a consistency agent, it provides a subtle natural citrus aroma, making it particularly attractive for natural formulations.
Damask Rose Wax – recovered during the production of rose essential oil. It contributes structure while adding a delicate natural rose scent, making it popular in premium skincare and fragrance products.
Jasmine Wax – another beautiful example of ingredient valorisation, produced as a by-product of jasmine flower extraction. It combines functional thickening properties with a naturally elegant floral aroma.
Upcycled exfoliants
Natural exfoliating particles are one of the fastest-growing categories of upcycled cosmetic ingredients.
Instead of using synthetic microbeads or virgin plant materials, many manufacturers now transform fruit seeds, shells, and pomace remaining after food production into biodegradable exfoliants.
Greenphyt offers a wide range of exfoliants produced from agricultural by-products, including grape, hemp, pomegranate, passion fruit, rosehip, and many other fruits and seeds.
Lessonia manufactures exfoliating powders from numerous fruit and plant by-products, including cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, kiwi, blackcurrant, jojoba and prickly pear. These ingredients can be incorporated into facial scrubs, body exfoliants, and cleansing products.
Upcycled preservation support
Consumers increasingly expect cosmetic products to contain fewer preservatives while maintaining excellent microbiological safety. Several upcycled multifunctional ingredients can help support preservation while delivering additional formulation benefits.
MangoBoost™ Sensient
MangoBoost™ is produced from mango fruit by-products remaining after food processing. It is used as a preservative booster while also contributing antioxidant properties.
Hydrolite® 5 Green Symrise
Hydrolite® 5 Green is derived from upcycled sugar beet processing streams. It functions as both a humectant and a preservative booster, making it an excellent example of a multifunctional ingredient that improves both formulation performance and sustainability.
Upcycled powders
Powders are widely used in cosmetic formulations to improve skin feel, reduce tackiness, absorb excess sebum, create a soft-focus effect, and modify the sensory profile of skincare, colour cosmetics and haircare products.
Traditionally, these functions have been delivered by ingredients such as silica, talc, nylon or PMMA. Today, however, ingredient manufacturers are beginning to replace these conventional materials with sustainable alternatives derived from agricultural by-products.
Amaze™ Nordic Barley Nouryon
Amaze™ Nordic Barley is produced from upcycled Nordic barley flour, a co-product of the Scandinavian food and beverage industry. The barley is processed using a proprietary technology to create a multifunctional cosmetic powder.
It is used to create a soft-focus effect, improve skin feel, reduce tackiness, absorb excess oil and enhance the sensory profile of creams, colour cosmetics, and hair styling products.
EcoSmooth™ Rice Husk Cosmetic Powder Dow
EcoSmooth™ Rice Husk Cosmetic Powder is produced from rice husks, an agricultural by-product generated during rice processing. The rice husks are transformed into a naturally derived silica powder that serves as a sustainable alternative to conventional sensory powders.
It provides sebum absorption, soft-focus and optical blurring effects, improved slip, a silky after-feel and mattifying properties. It is suitable for skincare, colour cosmetics, suncare, and haircare formulations.
Ricesilk™ Givaudan Active Beauty
Ricesilk™ is produced from rice husks remaining after rice milling, transforming an agricultural by-product into a multifunctional cosmetic powder.
It is designed to mattify the skin, absorb excess sebum, improve product sensoriality and leave a smooth, powdery finish. The ingredient is particularly suitable for facial skincare and colour cosmetic applications.
White Rice CRUSH™ ACTIVE The Upcycled Beauty Company
White Rice CRUSH™ ACTIVE is produced from misshapen white rice that is unsuitable for the food industry. Instead of becoming waste, the rice is transformed into an ultra-fine cosmetic powder.
It functions as a natural alternative to talc and microplastic powders by providing oil absorption, mattifying properties, a smooth silky skin feel and an improved sensory profile. It can be incorporated into skincare, colour cosmetics, suncare, and dry shampoo formulations.
VITACEL® CS 5 Oat JRS
VITACEL® CS 5 Oat is produced from upcycled oat fibers recovered from food industry by-products. The fibers are mechanically processed into an ultra-fine powder, creating a multifunctional sensory ingredient that combines sustainability with excellent formulation performance. It provides a silky, soft-touch skin feel, creates a soft-focus effect that helps blur the appearance of fine lines and skin imperfections, improves product sensoriality, adds volume and texture in haircare formulations, and can also stabilise Pickering emulsions, allowing formulators to reduce or even eliminate conventional emulsifiers in certain formulations.
Sensory Apple Pomace CODIF
Sensory Apple Pomace is produced from upcycled apple pomace, the fibrous material remaining after apple juice and cider production. Rather than being discarded, the pomace is micronised using a gentle process to create an ultra-fine cosmetic powder that complies with the COSMOS standard. It has been developed as a natural alternative to synthetic sensory powders such as PMMA, providing a mattifying effect, a soft-focus finish, excellent spreadability and a silky skin feel. It is suitable for facial skincare, primers, BB and CC creams, and colour cosmetics, making it an excellent example of how food industry by-products can be transformed into high-performance cosmetic ingredients.
Upcycled fragrances
Fragrance is often overlooked when discussing sustainability, yet it is another area where the industry has made remarkable progress.
Many of the world's leading fragrance houses, as well as smaller specialist fragrance manufacturers, now offer fragrance compositions containing upcycled ingredients. Rather than relying exclusively on newly harvested raw materials, these compositions incorporate ingredients recovered from agricultural, food, and fragrance production side streams, giving valuable natural materials a second life.
Examples include ingredients recovered from fruit peels, spices, flowers after essential oil distillation, wood residues, coffee grounds, and other botanical by-products, creating unique fragrance profiles while supporting a more circular economy.
Several fragrance houses are now offering fragrance compositions with upcycled content include:
Escentina (offering minimum order quantities as low as 1 kg, making upcycled fragrances accessible even for small and independent cosmetic brands)
...and many more.
For cosmetic brands, this presents an exciting opportunity to extend sustainability beyond the formulation itself. Instead of using conventional fragrances, brands can choose fragrances with verified upcycled content, helping to tell a more authentic sustainability story without compromising olfactory quality.
One of My Favorite Discoveries: Emerald Green
Out of everything I researched while writing this article, I liked this one most:
Emerald Green Sensient
Emerald Green is produced from upcycled mint leaves remaining after ice tea production using a zero-waste extraction process. Rich in natural chlorophyll, it functions as both a natural green colourant and an antioxidant for oil-based formulations.
What makes this ingredient particularly interesting is that it combines everything brands are increasingly looking for:
a "cool" sustainability story,
real formulation functionality,
and a beautiful natural colour.
About Me
I'm Justyna Szpak, an independent cosmetic formulation chemist with over 20 years of experience in cosmetic R&D. From my fully equipped laboratory in Ireland, I help brands develop innovative, safe and compliant cosmetic products—from the initial concept through formulation, testing, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing support.
Whether you're creating your first product or expanding an existing range, I'd be delighted to help you bring your idea to life.
Let's create beauty together.
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