Biobased Glycolic Acid Is a Suitable One-to-One Replacement for Synthetic Glycolic Acid in Skincare Formulated Products

Glycolic acid (GA) has a seasoned history as an effective skin exfoliating agent. Skincare alone accounted for 40% of the $468.2 million global GA market size in 2019¹. As personal care consumers and manufacturers look for more sustainable formulations, research into ingredient sources and manufacturing processes has become necessary. Herein, we report a direct comparative analysis of a synthetic 70% GA aqueous solution with a biobased, fermentation-derived alternative. Titration and chromatographic methods were used to determine water, GA, and impurity content or chemical identity. A 3-month accelerated shelf-life study (RT, 37°C/75% R.H., and 50°C/35% R.H.) with versions of the Good Molecules’ Overnight Exfoliating Treatment was conducted to compare the effects of formulating with either the synthetic or biobased material. Negligible differences were found in each solution's total acidity and water content, as measured by potentiometric and Karl Fisher titrations, respectively. Sample purity determined by ion exclusion chromatography (IEC) showed a major (∼10%) impurity peak in both samples and a minor additional impurity peak (∼0.1%) in the biobased GA. Further, GC-MS analysis showed that Diglycolic Acid was the major contaminant in both samples. Interestingly, Glycine was resolved only from the biobased GA solution. As with most amino acids, the residual Glycine found in the biobased GA could potentially offer additional skincare benefits. The accelerated stability study showed no meaningful changes in the formulated products' appearance, odor, color, viscosity, or pH. Overall, biobased GA offers a major opportunity for sustainable improvement in product development as an easy-to-formulate, one-to-one synthetic GA replacement.

¹Fortune Business Insights (2020, October). Glycolic Acid Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis [...] and Geography Forecast, 2020-2027. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/glycolic-acid-market-101922