Sustainable Cosmetic Formulation with Fermented & Food Actives

Fermented oils and botanical extracts are everywhere, but many teams still struggle to tell what fermentation actually changes, how to integrate these actives without destabilizing formulas, how to design with authentic colour and aroma (instead of fighting them), and how to turn efficacy data into claim-safe and sustainability-grounded stories that will hold up with RA/QA.

In this masterclass, expert Priscilla builds a practical path from fundamentals to execution. You’ll learn where fermentation truly helps (and where it doesn’t), how to choose between fermented oils vs. botanicals, how to design sensorials that embrace natural colour/aroma, how to read efficacy data (incl. a bisabolol comparison), and how to integrate these actives using supplier guidelines, then link your choices to measurable sustainability metrics and compliant claims.

Course Outline

• Module 01:

  Introduction to Fermentation in Cosmetics

  1. Traditional vs cosmetic fermentation: where it helps and where it doesn’t
  2. 2025–26 market signals and consumer language
  3. Science snapshot: bio-transformation and functional changes

  🌟 Outcome: Understand fundamentals and where fermentation creates useful differences

• Module 02:

  Two Key Directions in Fermented Actives

  1. Fermented Oils: benefits, stability considerations, typical use ranges
  2. Fermented Botanical Extracts: bioactivity, skin compatibility, solvent systems
  3. What truly changes post-fermentation (and what doesn’t)

  🌟 Outcome: Distinguish oil vs botanical routes and map to formula archetypes

• Module 03:

  Working with Natural Colour & Aroma

  1. Designing with colour and aroma: embracing natural hues & scents; when and how to modulate
  2. Sensory strategies: pairing notes, compatible pigments, packaging cues, and claims language
  3. Texture/structure: viscosity, feel, and phase-management with fermented inputs

  🌟 Outcome: Build enjoyable sensorials while honouring the ingredient’s authentic profile

• Module 04:

  Active Efficacy & Comparative Case

  1. Evaluating purity, concentration, and test methods (in-vitro/in-vivo/claims support)
  2. Case: Bisabolol - comparing three sources, including a naturally fermented version
  3. Translating efficacy data into formulation-relevant guidance

  🌟 Outcome: Read and apply evidence to choose and position fermented actives credibly

• Module 05:

  Integration Guidelines & Application Pathways

  1. How to incorporate oils and actives: solubility, order of addition, processing, compatibility
  2. Typical use-level ranges and system-specific cautions (serums, creams, masks)
  3. Supplier documentation: how to use and adapt their formulation guidelines effectively

  🌟 Outcome: Gain ready-to-use integration playbooks without
  prescribing fixed bases

• Module 06:

  Making Formulations More Sustainable with Fermented Ingredients

  1. Sustainability pathways: renewable feedstocks, by-product upcycling, milder process routes
  2. What to measure: carbon/energy/water, biodegradability, fossil-derived content, microplastic-free angles
  3. Aligning claims & certifications (and avoiding greenwashing)
  4. How marine and fermented ingredients can complement each other in a portfolio

  🌟 Outcome: Connect fermentation choices to clear sustainability wins and defensible claims

• Module 07:

  Claims & Regulatory Awareness

  1. Claim-safe language: soothing, antioxidant, microbiome-friendly, etc.
  2. Evidence standards vs. marketing assertions; audit readiness
  3. Global regulatory touchpoints for fermented cosmetic actives

  🌟 Outcome: Frame compliant, credible claims that survive scrutiny

• Module 08:

  Wrap-Up & Next Steps

  1. Summary of formulation tips and ingredient selection insights
  2. Where to go next: suppliers, labs, deeper testing

Successfully develop natural skin-care cosmetics using food ingredients (emulsifiers, emollients, humectants, and polymer thickener/stabilizers…) in place of synthetic and petrochemical-derived ingredients to gain trust and strong appeal amongst consumers.

Mark Chandler will provide a detailed review of cosmetics-friendly food ingredients, their pros & cons vs conventional ingredients and share practical selection & formulation strategies on how to best replace traditional ingredients.

Course Outline

• Module 01:

  Food Ingredients in Cosmetics: Introduction

  • Available food ingredients according to major cosmetic ingredient classes (emulsifiers, emollients, humectants, and polymer thickener/stabilizers…)
  • Main application segments
  • Comparison with Conventional ingredient
• Module 02:

  Pros & Cons of Formulating Natural Cosmetics with Food Ingredients

  • Technical issues in replacing conventional ingredients
• Module 03:

  Selection & Formulation Strategies & Tips

  • How to Select the Right Food Ingredient per Application
  • How to overcome related formulation issues
  • Case studies / success stories
• Module 04:

  Future Outlook for Food Ingredients