If the blog remembers correctly, Elevance has already been selling personal care ingredients since 2008 such as soy petrolatum with its partner Dow Corning. This week, Elevance announced the commercial availability of its first personal care product lines: “Elevance Smooth” – a line of plant-based, multi-functional polymers, and “Elevance Soft” – a line of plant-based emollients, both for use in a wide range of personal care applications including skin, hair and cosmetic products.

Elevance Smooth CS-110 and Elevance Soft CG-100 are the first ingredients to be introduced in those lines. The products are reportedly 100% renewable, plant-based materials. The compatibility and performance of the Elevance personal care ingredients allow formulations to be free from PEG, paraben, petrolatum and silicone.

Elevance Smooth ingredients are polymers that can reportedly provide structurant, thickener and film-former functionality while enabling formulators to use a single ingredient in chassis across their personal care product portfolio (I have no idea what this means…I just copied this statement in the press release…).

Elevance Soft ingredients include a range of liquid and semi-solid emollients that can be a plant-based alternative to silicone-based and petrochemical-based emollients.

Elevance Smooth CS-110 and Elevance Soft CG-100 have approved regulatory status in the United States, European Union, Canada and other countries that use INCI registration for personal care products. Additional products in the Elevance Soft line will be introduced with sample quantities available in late 2013, and commercial quantities available in 2014.

According to consulting firm Kline & Company, the global natural personal care market has been consistently flourishing exemplified by a 7% growth increase in the US, 6% in Europe, and higher growth rates in other countries such as China. Global sales of natural personal care products in 2013 estimated at $29.5bn at manufacturers’ level.

Sales of Natural Personal Care Products by Region, 2013 Source: Kline & Company