-- Kewpie Corporation (“Kewpie”) has confirmed that four types of hyaluronic acid it manufactures and sells as raw materials for cosmetics (HAbooster, HyaloOligo, Hyaloveil, and Hyalorepair) are biodegradable.
When cosmetics for skin and hair care are washed off in the bathroom, they pass through the sewage system to eventually end up in rivers or the sea. Biodegradability is an indicator that shows whether a given substance (organic matter) is broken down by microorganisms into water and carbon dioxide (inorganic matter).
Recently, with increasingly strict environmental regulations and consumer awareness of the environment, there has been a rapid increase in the demand for cosmetics raw materials that are biodegradable, especially in Europe and North America. From the perspective of sustainability, it is critical that a manufacturer supplying cosmetics raw materials confirms whether a given material is appropriately broken down by microorganisms after being washed off, thus reducing its environmental impact.
Test outline and results
Biodegradability testing was outsourced to an external specialist body in accordance with the OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, No. 301F, July 17, 1992 (Ready Biodegradability). In this testing, four of Kewpie’s functional hyaluronic acid raw materials often used in haircare products (HAbooster, Hyalo-Oligo, Hyaloveil, and Hyalorepair) were tested. All four types were shown by testing to be readily biodegradable in the environment. This confirms that the four hyaluronic acids tested are biodegradable and thus are cosmetics raw materials with low environmental impacts.
Kewpie will continue to contribute to bringing about a sustainable society not just through the development and provision of high-function cosmetics raw materials but through obtaining different types of evidence.
