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The Trend of Being Fossil Fuel Free

Did you know that chemicals used in the manufacturer’s cleaning and laundry products make up 46% of their carbon footprint? Unilever has also stated that shifting away from fossil fuel-derived chemicals can potentially reduce the formulations’ carbon footprint by up to 20%. Thus, being free of fossil fuels has been trending and companies are moving towards using recycled or renewable carbon to achieve this goal.

What are Fossil Fuels?

Fossil fuels are compound mixtures made of fossilized animal remnants and plants from millions of years ago. Fossil fuels such as crude oil (petroleum), natural gas or coal, are non-renewable resources and the different types are formed depending on the amount of heat and pressure as well as the type of fossils.

How to Be Fossil Fuel Free?

  • Use renewable feedstocks / ingredients
  • Use recyclable packaging
  • Reduce emissions from the manufacturing process
  • Use renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power
  • Switch to renewable carbon
    • Utilize all types of biomass
    • Direct use of carbon dioxide from fossil sources

Tips to Avoid Fossil Fuel-Based Ingredients

Personal care products often contain many ingredients derived from fossil fuels and some of them may even threaten our health and intensify environmental problems.

Fossil fuel-based ingredients are often found in:

fossil fuel

Check the product labels for these ingredients:

1) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES)

SLS and SLES can be derived from petroleum oil, coconut oil or palm oil. They are known for its ability to foam, rinse-off, or suspend certain types of ingredients but those with dry skin should be aware that SLS and SLES may potentially make your skin condition worse as it removes moisture from the skin. They are easy to avoid as they can be found on the product labels. Although they are generally safe, they have been associated with unintentional presences of the “possible human carcinogen” 1,4 dioxane.

2) Synthetic Colours

Synthetic colours are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. However, they often contain coal tar or petroleum ingredients such as FD&C Blue #1 which may cause allergies, cancer, hyperactivity in children and other health issues. You may avoid artificial colours by reading the product labels and look out for common colourants such as FD&C Blue 1, Green 3, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6.

3) Others

Here is a list of ingredients that are made of fossil fuel:

  • Parabens
  • Paraffin wax
  • Mineral oil
  • Toluene
  • Benzene
  • EDTA
  • Anything with PEG, DEA, MEA
  • Anything with propyl: isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol, propyl alcohol
  • Anything with butyl: butyl alcohol, butylene glycol, butanol

Our Solution

Do your part and choose fossil fuel free products to reduce your carbon footprint as well as improve your personal wellbeing.

We recommend fossil fuel free products such as Sinolion Amino Acid Surfactant. As surfactants are used in large quantities, it is important to use the most sustainable ones. Sinolion’s green production technology with zero-waste and zero-emission is patented and it is 100% natural based on ISO16128 for Glutamate and Alaninate Surfactants. Due to the glutamate surfactant’s easy to rinse and water-saving feature, the products’ life cycle carbon footprint and water footprint can be remarkably reduced.

Its performance is also outstanding as it is ultra-mild, leaves a soft and silky after-feel and non-drying. Thus, it is also suitable for frequent hand washing which is needed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amino acid surfactant is also Dioxane free which makes it non-toxic and safe to use from birth.

Interested in our solution?

Contact us today at sales@maha.asia to find out more about about our amino acid surfactant.

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