PIERIC Integrated eco-friendly processes for cosmetic ingredients

More and more cosmetic manufacturers are seeking to limit their environmental impact. This is why it becomes, amongst other things, imperative to develop processes that allow the use of solvents with the least impact on the environment and the lowest possible usage doses.

Fast and efficient transposition towards eco-friendly processes applied to cosmetics

Integrated eco-friendly processes in cosmetics to limit environmental impact

The PIERIC project proposes to revisit the main steps that lead from the plant to the cosmetic ingredient, or even the finished product, with an eco-friendly approach, in order to limit the volumes of (more or less toxic) solvents used and produced during the different processing steps: extraction of bio-active compounds from the plant, chemical modification by enzymatic action and stabilisation of the extracted compounds, pre-formulation of ingredients and formulation of the product. In the same spirit, the in-line implementation of these steps will be studied in order to propose integrated processes that are more efficient. This strategy will make it possible to propose suitable fluid solutions to cosmetic chemistry players for the rapid and efficient transposition of existing processes.

Evaluation of different selective extraction approaches

A list of six priority plants was drawn up to evaluate the different extraction approaches. Some contain predominantly polar compounds, others polar and apolar compounds. The goal is to develop methods to allow the extraction of these different types of compounds. Another challenge is to avoid extracting certain pigments such as chlorophyll that colour the extracts and are not stable, resulting in colour variation over time. One of these plants was supplied to the three university sites for the start of the first extractions.
Project partners 5 ACADEMIC laboratories
  • ICOA (UMR3711 –University of ORLÉANS / CNRS)
  • LBLGC (EA1207 – University of ORLÉANS / USC1328 – INRAE)
  • SIMBA (EA7502 – University of TOURS)
  • NMNS (EA6295 – University of TOURS)
  • ICARE (UPR3021 – CNRS ORLÉANS)
2 INDUSTRIAL partners
  • Alban Muller International, FONTENAY SUR EURE (28)
  • Certesens, TOURS (37)
Recruitment
  • 3 doctoral students
  • 1 post-doctoral researcher

Funding

K€ over 3 years

regional funding (ARD CVL) for salaries, the purchase of cutting-edge equipment and operations

Contact Eric LESELLIER ICOA (UMR3711 –University of ORLÉANS / CNRS) eric.lesellier@univ-orleans.fr