Personal care ingredient maker Green Biologics teams with Marianna Industries and Sally Beauty on bio-based acetone nail polish remover

Green Biologics specializes in microbial fermentation using large anaerobic bacterium. The company serves an array of industries, including flavors and fragrances, cosmetics and personal care, household and industrial cleaners, home fuels, paints, coatings, adhesives and inks.

Corporate headquarters is in England, but Green Biologics Inc. is a wholly owned US operating company based in Little Falls, Minnesota, as a media release about the new bio-based beauty product explains.

Same but different ​

As petroleum-based products become increasingly passé, ingredient makers are looking to develop drop-in alternatives that are molecularly identical to those that formulators and consumers are accustomed to.

The acetone created by Green Biologics is meant to be that sort of drop-in. “The key component of this plant-derived nail polish remover is 100% renewable acetone, a bio-based chemical produced via a patented fermentation process….United States grown corn is the primary feedstock,” ​explains the release.

“Although sustainably-sourced, this renewable acetone is a high-performance ingredient, equally effective to conventional acetone-based removers,” ​emphasizes the company.

First to market​

Marianna Industries, a contract manufacturer out of Omaha, Nebraska, formulated the nail polish remover; and Sally Beauty is retailing it as part of their Beauty Secrets product line.

Green Biologics is quite proud to be behind the new product: “We are very excited to introduce the first plant-derived acetone nail polish remover,”​ says David Anderson, global vice president of marketing.

It’s a product launch that Green Biologics thinks will help demonstrate the demand and viability of bio-based cosmetics and personal care ingredients. “Consumers are more particular than ever about the ingredients in their household and personal care products and are demanding more eco- friendly formulations,”​ says Anderson.

“This nail polish remover,”​ he asserts, “was created to directly address this demand with a formulation that works equally as good as traditional acetone remover, meaning consumers don’t need to sacrifice performance for natural ingredients.”​

While Marianna Industries and Green Biologics are foregrounding the first-to-market story, the two companies are eager to partner with other brands on similar products. As the release describes it, the companies “are ​excited to bring this plant-derived acetone nail polish remover to others in the market, whether it be through private label or branded opportunities.”​

Bio credential ​

Since definitions and expectations around natural personal care and cosmetics vary widely, Green Biologics secured the USDA BioPreferred certification for the Beauty Secrets nail polish remover.

According to biopreferred.gov, “Biobased products are derived from plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials and provide an alternative to conventional petroleum derived products.” ​And the overall intent of the Biopreffered program isn’t so much consumer education as it is to reduce the country’s reliance on petroleum while keeping large-scale agriculture feasible.

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.