What Formulators Need to Know
Bio-based ingredients are becoming a more practical consideration for personal care formulation teams. Brands are looking for ways to improve the renewable content and traceability of their ingredient portfolios while maintaining the performance and quality required for commercial products.
For formulators, however, the question is not simply whether an ingredient is described as bio-based. The useful questions are: What does bio-based mean for this material? How is the origin verified? Does the ingredient meet the required quality specification? And can the supplier provide documentation that supports the finished product's claims?
A disciplined evaluation helps sustainability goals fit into the same technical qualification process used for conventional ingredients.
Bio-based generally refers to material derived wholly or partly from renewable biological sources rather than fossil resources. The exact meaning and certification framework can vary, so buyers should avoid treating the term as a substitute for evidence.
For personal care brands, traceability is especially important when renewable-origin claims appear in product communication. A supplier should be able to explain the feedstock pathway and provide relevant verification or certification where applicable.
A sustainable ingredient still has to work in the formulation.
Formulators should evaluate purity, impurity profile, concentration, compatibility, stability, pH behaviour, colour, odour and other relevant parameters in the same way they would evaluate a conventional material.
For active ingredients such as glycolic acid, the formulation team also needs to consider the finished system, including target pH, concentration, packaging and compatibility with other ingredients. The renewable origin should add value without becoming a reason to compromise technical qualification.
Avid Organics' AviGa™ Bio HP70 is a 70% cosmetic-grade bio-based glycolic acid. The current product information describes it as produced from renewable feedstocks and positioned for personal care, pharmaceutical synthesis and industrial specialties.
Avid also reports that the bio-based carbon content is independently verified through AMS radiocarbon analysis by a Cofrac-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory. The product has USDA Certified Biobased status and COSMOS approval according to current Avid documentation.
For brands evaluating the material, the appropriate next step is still application testing and review of the current technical and regulatory documentation.
Bio-based sourcing is not limited to one chemistry. Avid Organics also offers AviGly™ Bio HP, a bio-based Glycine USP intended for pharmaceutical, nutrition, food, personal care and animal nutrition applications.
This can be relevant to brands developing a broader sustainable ingredient portfolio rather than making a single product-level change. The same qualification principles apply: verify origin, specification, application fit and documentation before making a commercial claim.
Before approving a bio-based ingredient, ask:
What renewable feedstock is used?
How is renewable origin verified?
Is there an independent certification or verification?
Does the bio-based material meet the same application specification required for the formulation?
Are impurity and stability data available?
What documentation supports regulatory review?
Is commercial supply available at the required scale?
How are sustainability claims communicated and documented?
These questions separate a substantiated sourcing decision from a marketing description.
A successful laboratory trial is only the first step. During scale-up, brands should confirm that the approved material can be supplied consistently, packaged appropriately and supported with the documentation required for every commercial batch.
Procurement and sustainability teams should also align early on claim language. A product may qualify for a particular certification or renewable-origin claim, but the finished-product claim must be developed according to the relevant standard and market requirements.
Bio-based ingredients can help personal care companies respond to renewable sourcing and traceability goals, but the best sourcing decisions remain grounded in chemistry and evidence.
For formulators, the priority is straightforward: define the technical requirement, verify the renewable-origin claim, qualify the supplier and confirm commercial supply before moving from concept to launch.
Explore the relevant Avid Organics product or application page and contact the technical or commercial team to discuss specifications, samples, documentation and supply requirements.
They are cosmetic ingredients wholly or partly derived from renewable biological sources, depending on the specific material and definition used.
Not necessarily. Sustainability should be evaluated using evidence covering sourcing, manufacturing and the relevant environmental criteria.
Verification can involve recognized certification schemes, laboratory analysis or other documented chain-of-custody evidence, depending on the ingredient.
Some can be designed to meet comparable technical specifications, but each material must be qualified on its own performance and quality data.
Avid currently lists USDA Certified Biobased status and COSMOS approval for AviGa Bio HP70. Buyers should confirm current certificates and applicable claim requirements before commercial use.
