A technology breakthrough is making it possible to cost-effectively reduce worldwide chemical surfactant reliance for the first time. Production methods developed by Locus Fermentation Solutions (Locus FS) are driving a global shift to the use of high-performing biosurfactants customized to directly replace surfactants in key global industries—with a 37% lower carbon footprint.
Personal care formulators use surfactants, and now biosurfactants, as emulsifiers, solubilizers, cleansers, wetters and foamers, but how exactly do they work? Formulation success can be amplified by understanding the action of these ingredients and these key terms…
Several biotechnology and specialty chemical companies are ramping up marketing and commercialisation of microbial-based surfactants especially glycolipids like rhamnolipid and sophorolipids as fermentation, extraction and purification processes for these surfactants have vastly improved compared to even a few years back.
Locus Performance Ingredients launched on July 21, 2020 amid the pandemic. Company executives note that it has had an impact on laboratory uptime to a modest degree, as Locus adheres to rigorous cleaning and laboratory management practices, but there’s been no dislocations in our supply chain from vendors.
What is most interesting is how the forces in each of the 3 spheres of influence have gotten stronger over the past ten years. Further, over time the “niche of success” is getting harder to hit. However, just like hitting the bullseye awards the dart thrower more points, hitting the “niche of success” rewards the ingredient supplier, formulator, personal care brand and consumer.
On August 4, 2020, startup company Locus Performance Ingredients (Locus PI) launched Ferma (INCI: Glycolipids), a sophorolipid series of biosurfactants to replace toxic surfactants and eliminate health and palm oil concerns in personal care products.
Biosurfactants have been recognized as the best alternative to surfactants due to their superior performance, versatility and lower usage rates. The problem? There wasn’t a production method that could make them commercially viable at the costs and scale needed for use in personal care products…until now.
Locus Performance Ingredients™ is launching its first product line to replace petrochemical surfactants in personal care formulations.
Branded as Ferma™, the pure Sophorolipid series of biosurfactants provide safer and more sustainable ingredient options with 5-25 times better performance—enabling lower usage rates and reducing carbon footprint by a minimum of 37%.
Branded as Locus Performance Ingredients (Locus PI), the startup develops nature-derived, high-performance biosurfactant ingredients proven to outperform petrochemical surfactants and solve top challenges in personal care, home care and industrial formulations.
Welcome to Locus Performance Ingredients, a new operating company of Locus FS dedicated to developing performance-driven, sustainable ingredients to replace toxic and palm-based chemicals in household, industrial and personal care products.
