1,3-PROPANEDIOL

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Moisturizer 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO)

SDGs is the most important global agenda in the 21st century.

The world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050. The global issues such as aging, climate change, water shortage and resource depletion occurred by global warming grow into serious problems in reciprocal relationship all over the world.

The average global temperature has increased by a little more than 1.2 degrees Celsius since the industrial revolution. Continued global warming could cause natural disasters such as ice sheet melts in the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Greenland, sea-level rise, ocean acidification and abnormal weather and have damaging effects on human livelihood.
If we can’t stop global warming as soon as possible, our descendants are impossible to survive. What we should do first is to decrease moisture and carbon dioxide that become greenhouse gas due to human activities for the purpose of holding down the rise in temperature less than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030.

One of the most important responsibilities required for us who engage in cosmetic production is to protect the nature resources.

Petroleum origin or non-recyclable resource should be transformed to sustainable or recycling process being established materials and energy.

Commitment from the leading company in cosmetics and personal care field.

1) L’Oreal

“By 2030, 95% of our ingredients in formula will be bio-based, derived from abundant minerals or from circular processes.
The plastics used in our packaging will be either from recycled or bio-based sources
our plastic packaging will be refillable, reusable, recyclable or compostable. 100% of the waste generated in our sites will be recycled or reused.”

2) UNILEVER

“We will achieve net zero emissions from all our products by 2039 and our ambition is to communicate the carbon footprint of every product we sell” .

“Completing the transition of its operations to 100% renewable energy”

they announced their intention to achieve extrication from dependence on oil regarding fuel.

“As an industry, we must break our dependence on fossil fuels, including as a raw material for our products. We must stop pumping carbon from under the ground when there is ample carbon on and above the ground if we can learn to utilise it at scale.”

Transformation to renewable and sustainable moisturizer

Propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and 1,3-butanediol are commonly used as representative moisturizer for cosmetics, however, almost all of them are petroleum origin.

Although the method of plant (vegetable) origin is developed and industrialized regarding propylene glycol, it does not reach the stage of replaceable product due to high price and strong smell.

For dipropylene glycol, nothing except the method of petroleum origin has been developed yet.

Despite the fact that there are many suppliers who developed the method of plant (vegetable) origin for 1,3-butanediol, high cost and strong smell stand in way of replacement as same as propylene glycol.

On the other hand, 1,3-propanediol has been known as a monomer of polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fiber and tried to be industrialized by many companies. The method of petroleum origin was unsuccessful in terms of cost, whereas fermentation method using plant as a starting material was succeeded in industrialization. 1,3-propanediol is clearly different from other kinds of diols, because it can be efficiently produced by using materials of plant (vegetable) origin rather than petroleum origin. The material is exactly appropriate for a decarbonized society.

1,3-propanediol has lower irritation on skin than propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and 1,3-butanediol and improves safety and enhances compound ratio by replacement.

Regarding texture, 1,3-propanediol has non-sticky and compatibility with skin compared with other diols. Glycerin is the main role of moisturizing but has weakness on stickiness. 1,3-propanediol suppresses the stickiness and improves the texture, which is a big advantage.

Although each supplier has difference in smell, 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from Tsinghua Smart Biotech is completely odorless and has a clear difference from propylene glycol or 1,3-butylene glycol of plant (vegetable) origin.

Not only the manufacturer is widely scattered in Asia, North-America and Europe, but also starting materials are diverse such as palm, rapeseed and corn. Consequently, the material has low risk in terms of BCP.

Based on the above, 1,3-propanediol should be chosen as the material which advances transformation to renewable and sustainable moisturizer. Especially 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) has high competitiveness.