Chapter

Green Chemistry: Foundations in Cosmetic Sciences

Authors:
  • Beyond Benign
  • Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry
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Abstract

The manufacturing industries have been experiencing increasing pressure from regulatory and government agencies and society in general on issues concerning human health and the environment. Green chemistry helps chemists and materials scientists to incorporate sustainable principles into their practices of creating products and developing processes. The field of green chemistry, since its beginnings in the early 1990s, has been growing in the scientific community at an ever-increasing rate. Green chemistry is a set of principles that speak to the design scientist at the earliest part of a product development program. It incorporates downstream implications at the fundamental molecular level. By anticipating potential problems around scale-up associated with regulatory and toxicological issues, it is possible to not only reduce costs from a variety of internalized and externalized sources but also streamline operations by increasing efficiency and time to market. This chapter discusses the twelve principles of green chemistry in the context of the cosmetics and personal care industries, and how the concerns can be addressed at a fundamental level. The cosmetics and personal care industry is taking initiatives to strive toward greener processes and products. However, as with all industrial sectors, much more work needs to be done. The need for more alternatives can be seen as a hurdle or as an opportunity.

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... This framework is meant to be applied to the entire lifecycle of the finished good -from raw material selection to chemical transformation, and ultimately the effect of the final product on human life and the environment [18]. The EPA calls for the fulfillment of these objectives whilst also producing profitable and functional products [19]. ...
... While this is helpful, it does not provide a full picture of what has occurred, as most chemical transformations are not as simple as "reagent A converted to product B". It is therefore Fig. 5 Pollution prevention hierarchy demonstrating disposal, recycling and reuse of waste are acceptable, but reduction and avoidance are preferred in the scope of green chemistry possible to calculate a high product yield and the process still be inefficient due to a formation of waste [19]. To account for this, green chemistry proposes the use of atom economy. ...
... In chemical manufacturing, the starting material is converted into a number of intermediate compounds before being transformed to the final product. The substances generated, and the reagents used to generate them, should have little to no physical hazards such as explosivity and flammability [19]. ...
Article
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Objectives: With increasing awareness of the potential adverse impact of conventional surfactants on the environment and human health, there is mounting interest in the development of bio-based surfactants (which are deemed to be safer, more affordable, are in abundance, are biodegradable, biocompatible and possess scalability, mildness and performance in formulation) in personal care products. Method: A comprehensive literature review around alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) and sucrose esters (SEs) as bio-based sur-factants, through the lens of the 12 green chemistry principles was conducted. An overview of the use of bio-based surfactants in personal care products was also provided. Results: Bio-based surfactants are derived primarily from natural sources (i.e. both the head and tail molecular group). One of the more common types of bio-based surfactants are those with carbohydrate head groups, where alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) and sucrose esters (SEs) lead this sub-category. As global regulations and user mandate for sustainability and safety increase, evidence to further support these bio-based surfactants as alternatives to their petrochemical counterparts is advantageous. Use of the green chemistry framework is a suitable way to do this. While many of the discussed principles are enforced industrially, others have only yet been applied at a laboratory scale or are not apparent in literature. Conclusion: Many of the principles of green chemistry are currently used in the synthesis of APGs and SEs. These and other bio-based surfactants should, therefore, be considered suitable and sustainable alternatives to conventional surfactants. To further encourage the use of these novel surfactants, industry must make an effort to implement and improve the use of the remaining principles at a commercial level.
Chapter
Green chemistry is a scientific field that strives to work at the molecular level to achieve sustainability. Central to green chemistry is a set of twelve principles based on the minimization of toxic solvents in chemical processes. The relation between green chemistry and achieving the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, the value of green chemistry and sustainable development, and an economic model based on green chemistry principles are examined in this chapter. The future of green chemistry and sustainable development as well as implementation strategies are also suggested. Green chemistry principles include, prevention, atom economy, less hazardous chemical syntheses, designing safer chemicals, safer solvents and auxiliaries, use of renewable feedstocks, design for energy efficiency, reduce derivatives, catalysis, design for degradation, real-time analysis for pollution prevention, and inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention. Based on green chemistry principles, several potential green business such as green transportation, green building, green energy, green chemicals, green agriculture, and green tourism are addressed in this chapter. More detailed discussions will be expressed from Chaps. 13–17 in this book. In summary, green Chemistry is the molecular science of sustainability to design chemical products/processes that reduce the use/generation of hazardous substances, while ensuring their performance, cost and safety. It should be noted that green chemistry and green engineering are only scientific solutions for cleaner production. It would inevitably create strong interaction with end-users and markets. Integration of green chemistry and green engineering with prevention-assurance sustainability can simultaneously accelerate economic growth and the reduced environmental and social impacts.
Thesis
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