• With its Re_think approach, BASF’s Personal Care Business provides forward-looking answers to current global developments and their impact on consumer behavior
• Innovative solutions demonstrate BASF’s expertise in ingredients and concepts, and its ambition to connect with the future of beauty
• The Formulation Lab and technical seminars offer insights into BASF’s broad portfolio of products and services.

Barcelona, Spain – March 14, 2023 – At this year’s in-cosmetics Global held in Barcelona from March 28 to 30, BASF’s Personal Care business focuses on new ingredients and concepts that sharpen the fields of wellbeing, sustainability, and transparency. “We are excited to be back at in-cosmetics in person after such a long absence due to the pandemic. We want to use the learnings we had as a society with the events of the last few years and the trends we see in the personal care segment, to shape, together with our customers the future of beauty,” explains Tatiana Kalman, Senior Vice President of Personal Care Europe.

Re_think: connecting with the future of beauty

BASF’s participation this year will centre around the concept “Re_think”. As the world emerges from the pandemic and its associated hardships, societies have gained a deeper sense of responsibility for individuals, the planet and future generations. There is a fundamental change of focus and an aspiration to create a better world. Health and wellbeing as well as care for the environment form the new collective compass for decisions and day-to-day actions. More than ever, consumers realize the need to limit their environmental impact, reduce waste, resource and energy consumption, and use products that are sourced and produced sustainably.

Re_think is BASF’s commitment to the personal care market, now and in the future. In close cooperation with its customers, the company will reform, reshape and reinvent personal care for a sustainable future. By seamlessly integrating innovation, responsible sourcing, transparent information and digitalization, BASF’spersonal care business offers resilient and sustainable solutions for tomorrow – to connect with the future of beauty.

A new biopolymer built on sustainability and performance

Sustainability does not require a sacrifice in performance. This is proven by a purposeful advance in the field of biopolymers, which BASF is presenting at this year’s in-cosmetics. Cosmedia® HP Starch is an effective thickening agent with texturizing properties that was designed for emulsion preparations and different surfactant systems. This readily biodegradable (according to OECD 301D criteria) biopolymer is not only characterized by its high quality, but also by its multiple ways of use. This white powder has a non-ionic character that allows good compatibility with different ingredients such as cationics and amphoterics, and offers the possibility of developing a variety of formulations for a wide range of applications. Its texturizing performance contributes to flow behavior and pleasant sensorial profiles. Its properties allow for both cold and hot manufacturing processes, showcasing the high flexibility of this biopolymer. The sustainable benefits of this new ingredient are particularly noteworthy. Responsible use of resources a driving motivation here. Cosmedia HP Starch is derived from natural feedstocks. It is locally sourced and produced only in Europe, thus contributing to shaping the future of sustainability in the personal care industry.

Tinomax™ CC: A new ingredient for optimized sun protection

Growing consumer awareness is also having an impact on the sunscreen sector. Many consumers are actively thinking about the impact of their sunscreen product on the environment and human health. The new natural-based functionalized particle TinomaxTM CC is ideally suited for optimizing sunscreen formulations. In addition, it offers sensory benefits through homogeneous particle shaping. This ingredient lengthens UV protection with SPF and UVA improvement, and has a positive effect on reducing the stickiness and greasiness of sun care formulations.

Euperlan® NL Pearl: first wax-based COSMOS-compliant pearlizer for rinse- off applications

With the launch of Euperlan® NL Pearl, BASF’s personal care business offers the first COSMOS-compliant wax-based pearlizer for personal care products combining excellent hair care performance with sustainability benefits. This ingredient is readily biodegradable and suitable for certified natural cleansing concepts according to COSMOS standards. It is easy to formulate and cold processable. Some inspiring formulations developed with this new pearlizer have a natural origin content of up to 99% according to ISO 16128.

BASF shares COSMOS-compliant pearly shampoo formulation concept in the Formulation Lab

The Formulation Lab offers R&D staff the opportunity to learn techniques first-hand through interactive training sessions in a fully equipped lab. This year, BASF will guide participants in formulating a high performance and COSMOS-compliant pearly shampoo. The formulation is based on Euperlan NL Pearl, the wax-based pearlizer with outstanding performance and sustainability. The resulting pearly shampoo not only offers excellent performance in conditioning of wet and dry hair, but also strongly reduces hair breakage and improves hair sensorics.

Technical seminars: BASF presents digital services and sustainable alternatives

BASF experts will share their knowledge and market insights at two technical seminars at this year’s in-cosmetics. One seminar will focus on digitalization and how it can serve to enable the development of cosmetic formulations with high- performance while being based on sustainable ingredients. Modelling and simulation-based digital services are part of BASF’s answer to meet the latest demands of the personal care industry and lower the barriers to advanced formulation and product development. The seminar will introduce the two latest digital solutions for rinse-off applications. In the second seminar, Euperlan NL Pearl will be presented as the first wax-based COSMOS-compliant pearlizer for personal care products combining excellent hair care performance with sustainable benefits.

These are but a few examples of how BASF’s Care Chemicals Division is addressing future challenges. Sustainability, digitalization, innovation and new approaches to working together are the key cornerstones to Care 360° – Solutions for sustainable life.

About the Care Chemicals division at BASF
The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are a leading global supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergents and cleaners industry, and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The division’s high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available online at www.care-chemicals.basf.com.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 111.000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €78.6 billion in 2021. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.