Cellulose- and lignin-based particles as biodegradable replacement for plastic microparticles in cosmetic and dental care products

Many cosmetic articles contain the smallest plastic particles, so-called microplastics, for example of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). In the project KosLigCel these were replaced by biodegradable materials. The goal was the cost-effective production of biodegradable cellulose particles from beech wood, oats, wheat and maize, which meet the requirements for abrasiveness and cleaning performance in dental and skin care products. The particular challenge was to design the cellulose particles so that their size, shape, hardness and surface structure leads to the desired product properties.

In the project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS together with CFF GmbH, a pulp processor from Gehren in Thuringia, and Skinomics GmbH from Halle (Saale), which is mainly responsible for galenic and dermatological testing of the products, successfully developed and tested alternatives made of biodegradable materials.

Further information can be found here.