Can PHA/PBAT/starch blend films still be used in the beauty industry?
Previously, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom found a way to make sustainable, non-toxic, and biodegradable glitter from cellulose, the main component of the cell walls of plants, fruits and vegetables.
Made from cellulose nanocrystals, this glitter modifies the light through structural colors, resulting in vibrant colors. In nature, things like the glitter of butterfly wings and peacock feathers are masterpieces of structural color, a color that will not fade for a century.
Bio-based materials, as new materials with natural sources and renewable sources, not only have the advantages of carbon neutrality and sustainability, but also are safer for the human body. Bio-based plasticizers, edible films, polylactic acid for food contact, medical applications, PHA and other bio-based materials have become more environmentally friendly and safer choices for various industries.
In the field of facial masks, in response to physiological phenomena such as wrinkles, age spots, dry skin and uneven skin tone, the demand for beauty and anti-aging products in the cosmetics market has greatly increased. The cosmetics industry has maintained a compound annual growth rate of 5% to 7% for a long time. The impact of global economic ups and downs. New demographic trends, technology and consumption habits are subtly affecting the development trend of the cosmetics industry. Therefore, natural and green cosmetics have become the new direction of the industry, and the development of new beauty masks is also a research hotspot for relevant researchers.
Researchers from foreign universities have prepared a PHA/starch/PBAT mixture film by extrusion method. This film has good skin adhesion and compatibility, as well as good kinetic properties, which can be released quickly and efficiently. Surface active ingredient, showing great potential as a raw material for beauty masks.
1. The application potential of bioplastics in the beauty mask industry
Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biopolymer extracted from bacteria with very high biocompatibility and low greenhouse gas emission properties, and has excellent application prospects in environmental and bioengineering. Starch is the main carbohydrate reserve in higher plants and a very abundant biopolymer, which is widely used in non-food applications (eg, glues, thickeners, skin soothing agents, etc.).
Butylene glycol ester (PBSA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PBAT), as two kinds of biopolyesters with many applications, can achieve complete regeneration and biodegradation in a short time, and are suitable for the preparation of bioplastic films. Starch exhibits excellent mechanical properties in combination with other products.
2. The new mask production process has broad prospects for development
Biopolyesters have limited stability under the high temperature conditions required for the melting process, which is also one of the difficulties in industrial applications. Generally during processing, the temperature must be controlled to be slightly above the melting point to avoid polymer degradation. In this study, through the experimental exploration of different raw material combinations, processing methods and external temperature, it was found that the performance of the film mixture was further improved by extruding the polyhydroxyalkanoate/starch/biopolyester blend film at a temperature of 140 °C.
For the production process of compression molding, the time required to produce the mask is primarily cutting and packaging, not film production. The mask produced by the automated flat die extrusion plant can produce more than 600,000 pieces per year, which is more competitive than traditional non-woven industrial methods. Through the examination of interstitial stromal cells and keratinocytes, the mixture of the compression-molded version with more uneven surface morphology can maintain the high metabolic activity of keratinocytes, and at the same time show stronger immunomodulatory activity, which can effectively help wound healing, relieve skin damage and inflammatory state.
Also, adding PBSA and PBAT is a good strategy. After extrusion processing at 140 °C, the hybrid films showed good adhesion to the skin after wetting, and these films could release more than 80% of the surface components within 30 minutes, which showed fast kinetic properties.
