Econic Launches a CO₂-Based Ultra-Mild Surfactant for Personal Care

Econic Technologies has launched Recreaire® 17RC28, a new ultra-mild surfactant made using captured carbon dioxide (CO₂), designed for use in personal care products including lotions, creams, shampoos and conditioners.

The new surfactant represents an expansion of Econic's Recreaire® technology into personal care formulations. According to the UK-based deep-tech company, Recreaire 17RC28 combines an ultra-mild profile with performance comparable to or better than conventional surfactants while incorporating captured CO₂ as a carbon source.

The launch reflects growing efforts across the personal care and chemicals industries to reduce dependence on fossil-based raw materials while maintaining product performance.

Econic Introduces Recreaire® 17RC28

Recreaire 17RC28 is designed specifically for personal care applications where mildness, stability and formulation performance are important.

The surfactant has a relatively high molecular weight that makes it suitable for emulsification, an important function in products such as creams and lotions.

Econic says the ingredient can be used in a range of skin and hair care formulations, including:

• Lotions

• Creams

• Shampoos

• Conditioners

• Other personal care products

The company is positioning the new material as an alternative to conventional surfactant systems while offering a route to lower-carbon formulations.

Surfactant Made With Captured CO₂

A key feature of Recreaire 17RC28 is the incorporation of captured carbon dioxide into the molecule.

The product contains 28% CO₂ by weight, according to Econic. Rather than relying entirely on conventional fossil-derived or oleochemical carbon sources, the technology uses captured CO₂ as a feedstock for producing the surfactant.

Econic says the product has a carbon footprint approximately 25% lower than standard surfactants.

This approach forms part of the broader carbon capture and utilization (CCU) concept, in which captured CO₂ is converted into useful chemical products rather than being treated solely as a waste stream.

Performance Compared With Conventional Surfactants

Sustainability alone is not enough for personal care ingredients. Surfactants must also provide the required stability and formulation performance.

Econic conducted side-by-side stability testing of Recreaire 17RC28 against a widely used fatty alcohol ethoxylate system.

According to the company, formulations containing Recreaire 17RC28 maintained substantially more consistent viscosity over 40 days while matching the benchmark in appearance and three-cycle freeze-thaw stability. The formulations also demonstrated long-term storage stability over 140 days at 40°C.

These results are particularly relevant for personal care formulators because changes in viscosity, appearance and stability can affect the quality and shelf life of finished products.

Designed for Mild Personal Care Formulations

The ultra-mild nature of Recreaire 17RC28 is an important aspect of its positioning.

Personal care manufacturers increasingly need ingredients that can deliver the required technical performance while supporting consumer expectations around gentle formulations and sustainability.

By combining mildness with emulsification and stability properties, Econic says Recreaire 17RC28 can be incorporated into different skin and hair care formulations.

The ingredient can also be used on its own or combined with bio-based surfactants, giving formulators flexibility in developing products according to their performance requirements and sustainability objectives.

Expansion of Econic's Recreaire® Platform

The new product builds on Econic's broader Recreaire® carbonate ethoxylate surfactant platform.

Econic introduced the Recreaire family in 2025 as a technology based on CO₂ rather than conventional fossil-based and oleochemical carbon sources. The platform can produce a range of surfactant molecules and can incorporate up to 45% CO₂ by weight, depending on the formulation and application.

The technology is being developed for applications across several markets, including:

• Personal care

• Home care

• Industrial cleaning

• Agriculture

• Coatings

• Metalworking

• Lubricants

This broader platform approach allows Econic to develop different surfactant structures for specific applications rather than relying on a single product.

Potential Benefits for Personal Care Manufacturers

The launch could give personal care manufacturers another option for reducing the carbon intensity of their formulations.

Recreaire 17RC28 offers several characteristics that may be relevant to formulators:

• CO₂-based carbon content

• 28% CO₂ by weight

• Ultra-mild formulation profile

• Emulsification capability

• Lower reported carbon footprint

• Compatibility with bio-based surfactants

• Stability in personal care formulations

Econic's broader Recreaire platform is also designed to work with existing surfactant manufacturing infrastructure, potentially reducing the need for completely new production systems.

Moving Beyond Fossil-Based Surfactants

Traditional surfactants can rely on fossil-derived raw materials and oleochemicals. As personal care companies work toward lower-carbon supply chains, manufacturers are exploring multiple alternatives, including bio-based materials and carbon-utilization technologies.

Econic's approach focuses on using captured CO₂ as a source of renewable carbon.

The company says its Recreaire technology can provide up to a 65% reduction in CO₂-equivalent emissions for some surfactant applications compared with conventional alternatives, although the exact reduction depends on the specific product and system being compared.

This gives manufacturers another potential pathway for reducing the carbon footprint of surfactant ingredients without necessarily sacrificing formulation performance.

Commercial Scale-Up Underway

Econic is currently working with surfactant manufacturers and brand owners to commercially scale Recreaire 17RC28.

The company's business model is based on licensing its technology to manufacturers that supply ingredients to consumer brands.

This means the immediate focus is not simply on launching a finished consumer product, but on enabling surfactant producers and personal care companies to incorporate the technology into commercial supply chains.

Implications for the Personal Care Industry

The introduction of a CO₂-based ultra-mild surfactant highlights the increasing intersection between personal care formulation and carbon utilization technology.

Personal care companies are under pressure to develop products that meet consumer expectations for performance and mildness while also addressing sustainability targets.

Technologies that replace part of the conventional carbon feedstock with captured CO₂ could become an additional tool for achieving these objectives.

The success of such materials will ultimately depend on factors including cost, scalability, formulation performance, regulatory requirements, supply availability and consumer acceptance.

Conclusion

Econic Technologies' launch of Recreaire® 17RC28 marks a new development in the use of captured CO₂ for personal care ingredients.

The ultra-mild surfactant is designed for applications including lotions, creams, shampoos and conditioners and contains 28% CO₂ by weight. Econic reports that it delivers comparable or better performance than conventional surfactants in several stability tests while reducing its carbon footprint by approximately 25% compared with standard surfactants.

The launch also expands Econic's Recreaire® platform, which is being developed for personal care, home care and other industrial applications.

As the chemical and personal care industries continue to search for lower-carbon raw materials, CO₂-based surfactants could provide another route toward replacing conventional carbon sources while maintaining the performance required by modern formulations.