Roquette brings the best of nature to the cosmetics market

Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients for the food, nutrition and health markets, is turning its 80 years of expertise to developing an innovative range of high performance products for the cosmetics market. Branded “Beauté by Roquette”, the new range was launched at the In-Cosmetics exhibition in Amsterdam last April and is also being shown at In-Cosmetics Korea in Seoul in June. 

Based in Lestrem, France, Roquette has been working closely with the French cosmetics ecosystem to design and test its new Beauté by Roquette offer for skincare, color cosmetics, haircare, fragrance and oral care products, which aims to address not only the growing environmental concerns among consumers that are fuelling demand for plant-based products, but also their desire for high-performance and innovative products.

The company has built a track record of innovation and quality excellence in the food and pharma markets over the past eight decades, using plant-based raw materials such as corn, wheat, potatoes and peas; it is also a pioneer in vegetal proteins. This know-how will serve as the cornerstone of its strategy to create a differentiated position in the dynamic global cosmetics market. Its intention is to reinforce its collaboration with customers and partners globally to provide consumers with new benefits that reflect the market drivers of the growth of the middle class, urbanization and ageing populations.

“We believe we have real innovations that can bring solutions to the cosmetics market​,” said Léon Mentink, cosmetics innovation director at Roquette. “We plan to leverage our strong know-how in plant-based ingredients for the food, nutrition and health markets to offer innovative, high-performance and sustainable solutions to the cosmetics market, which we see as a very attractive market at the crossroads of our current areas of expertise​.”                                                           

Sustainability has been given a high priority and the Beauté by Roquette products are made from renewable plant-based raw materials. They all have a high natural index or natural origin index according to the ISO 16128 standard. The company has set itself ambitious targets to meet clear sustainability commitments in areas such as sourcing, bio-refining, innovation and stewardship.

Amongst its first range of ten products, the Beauté by Roquette range includes two new systems combining functional properties and sensory benefits.

The first system called Beauté by Roquette DS 112 is suitable for a wide range of cosmetic products. It is a plant-based thickening and stabilizing system, providing light to creamy texture with a unique dry, smooth and velvet feel. It is a non-ionic powder that can be used in both hot and cold processing and has a very high tolerance to pH and electrolytes.

 The second system named Beauté by Roquette DS 146 allows the preparation of emulsions containing a high level of oil and sunscreens. This natural emulsifier system also provides a dry and smooth skin feel. It is a ready-to-use powder, suitable for cold process and dispersible into both the water and oil phase.

Among the range, Beauté by Roquette ST 012, is an hydrophobic starch derived from corn. It absorbs sebum, has a mattifying effect on the skin and reduces the greasiness and tackiness of cosmetic formulations. 

The native corn starch product Beauté by Roquette ST 005 offers a safe alternative to mineral powder in all application types, from dry powder to creamy textures and lotions.

 Beauté by Roquette PO 260, a highly pure white crystalline mannitol powder, is suitable for a wide range of cosmetic applications. It helps stabilize actives in the final product.

Meanwhile, all skin types can be treated with Beauté by Roquette GA 290, a multifunctional plant-based polyhydroxyacid (PHA) which acts as a preservative booster, and as an anti-ageing, anti-acne and peeling agent.

In the oral care and haircare markets there is also an increasing interest in alternatives to animal-derived or fossil-based ingredients. Oral care products require a number of functionalities and properties, including non-crystallizing humectants, shelf-life enhancers, plasticizers and taste-maskers that must also be non-cariogenic and have a pleasant mouthfeel. Roquette's Beauté by Roquette wide range of Cosmos certified polyols is very well adapted to these applications.

Beauté by Roquette PO 370, xylitol, is a versatile moisturising ingredient that can also be used as a mild scrubbing agent in facial washes, as a taste-masking and anti-cariogenic agent in oral care products or to impart sweetness to flavoured lipsticks.

For dry oral care products, as well as skin and hair care, Beauté by Roquette PO 160, a high pure sorbitol powder, is a non-cariogenic natural humectant that also provides a sweet flavour on the lips.

Finally, fragrances can last longer by using Beauté by Roquette CD 102. It is a native cyclodextrin also allowing through molecular encapsulation to increase the solubility of lipophilic actives and enhance their efficacy as well as protecting them from UV radiation, heat or oxidants.

The efficacy of actives and provision of long-lasting fragrances can also be enhanced through inclusion complex formation by using Beauté by Roquette CD 110, a specific hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin developed for cosmetics. This plant-based ingredient, derived from starch, also acts as a firming agent in skin care products.

“The launch of our Beauté by Roquette range is an important development milestone for the group​,” said Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of Roquette. “We believe that beauty is all about skin health and nutrition and we see our new activity in cosmetics as a complementary promising pillar to our existing offering. This new pillar will further contribute to improving the well-being of millions of consumers worldwide​.”