17 Bottle Your Sustainability Goals – Minimize
Ricinoleate, the results showed in every case a significant reduction in GWP. In each
instance, we were able to reduce the CO
2
footprint of esters, thanks to the incremental
steps we took in combining feedstock and processing. These results are a testament to the
meaningful environmental benefits that can be achieved through such measures.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF O/W MARKET PRODUCT
In the personal care market, the most prevalent emulsion type is oil-in-water (O/W).
Emulsion typically contains 70–80% water.
Figure 6. Conventional esterification versus enzymatic esterification4-6 (left). Feedstock and process for
enzymatic emollients (right).
Figure 7. Global Warming Potential: esterification production in combination with RSPO feedstock.

18 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE
The system depicted in Figure 8 comprises an emulsifier blend of Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate
and Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, consistency enhancers including Glyceryl Stearate and
Cetearyl Alcohol, an oil phase comprising four conventional esters derived from non-RSPO
feedstock, a sensory aid in the form of Cellulose, a water phase with Xanthan Gum as
a thickener, and Glycerin. To assess the environmental impact of this binary emulsion,
we replaced the non-RSPO palm-based metal-catalyzed esters with RSPO palm-derived
enzymatically processed esters. The emollient mixture in this oil-in-water formulation
constitutes 18% of the system, as illustrated in Figure 9, and has the most significant effect
on the CO
2
footprint of a typical oil-in-water system.
Upon closer examination, it is evident that the life cycle assessment of ester emollients
in an oil-in-water emulsion is significantly impacted by the choice of feedstocks and
manufacturing processes. Figure 10 illustrates three scenarios, each with varying raw
material choices and production methods. As previously established, esters have the largest
environmental impact, and thus, our focus is on optimizing this group of ingredients.
Figure 8. Environmental impact of a market product: O/W cream.
Figure 9. Environmental impact of a market product: Life cycle assessment of an O/W cream – Impact of
ingredient types.