Impact case study database

The extraction and formulation techniques and associated products invented by Blackburn and Rayner and their development through Keracol are a driving-force for fundamental change in cosmetics production. Keracol have advanced their partners’ sustainability and safety goals and equipped them to mass-produce in-demand and effective cosmetics. Keracol have created successful products (M&S Pure Super Grape, Dr Craft) and are instrumental in major production changes [text removed for publication].

Sustainable cosmetics: increasing circularity in production and reducing food-waste

Circularity (the reuse of waste in production) is an urgent focus for brands, manufacturers, and global organisations. The United Nations Environment Plan declared 2018 as the ‘year of producing and consuming sustainably’, and in 2019 the UK government launched a series of consultations on increasing circularity. Food waste specifically is a key concern of bodies such as global leaders the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP); 2020 saw the release of their report ‘Halving Food Loss and Waste in the EU by 2030’ which identifies ‘food waste valorisation’ (the re-use of food-waste) as a key tool in achieving this aim.

In 2014 M&S launched the Pure Super Grape anti-ageing skincare range developed for M&S by Keracol, becoming the first company in the UK to extract resveratrol from its own English grape waste (Pinot Noir produced for M&S by Chapel Down Vineyard in Kent) [C]. Grape is one of the largest fruit crops in the world (4^th largest in 2018 – source: statista.com), only 20% is used through mainstream food production: the pomace (skins) that remains is usually discarded unused. The Pure Super Grape range saved 17.3 tonnes of pomace from entering UK landfill from 2014-2019 [D].

Production of Keracol’s own brand Dr Craft has to date saved 5 tonnes of blackcurrant waste and 2 tonnes of mandarin waste from landfill or incineration [E] and has attracted significant media attention raising public awareness about valorisation of food waste and sustainability of cosmetics [F]. Dr. Craft products have also won European sustainability awards [G].

Safe cosmetics: removing reliance on ingredients that are harmful to health

Blackburn and Rayner’s research has directly led to patented techniques which remove reliance on hair-dye ingredients which are harmful to human health. [text removed for publication] all oxidative hair dyes predominantly rely on compounds such as para-phenylenediamine (PPD). For the general population these compounds are suspected carcinogens (cancer causing), tumourgens (tumour causing), and/or mutagens (genetic mutation causing) and may also affect human fertility and reproduction¹²³

and are proven to cause allergic reactions⁴. Cancer risks to salon-based staff such as hairdressers and barbers are acknowledged by the NIH: National Cancer Institute (the leading cancer research agency in the USA) in their Hair Dye Factsheet [I].

The new catalysed hair dyeing technology developed by Blackburn and Rayner through Keracol has removed reliance on harmful aromatic amines such as PPD. [text removed for publication]

Profitable cosmetics: tapping into the market for safe green cosmetics

The global natural cosmetics market was estimated to be worth $34 billion in 2018 and is projected to register annual growth of 5% from 2019 to 2025 [J]: this growing demand has precipitated key commercial opportunities for Keracol both through partnerships with [text removed for publication] M&S [C,D] and through its own brand Dr Craft [E].

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The Pure Super Grape product range developed with Keracol and M&S, has sold [text removed for publication] Since 2011, Keracol has turned over £1.3m and launched its own cosmetic brand, Dr Craft [E] (sold through Amazon and drcraft.co.uk), which has achieved commercial success and sustainability recognition. The success of these products demonstrate the scalability of the techniques developed by Blackburn and Rayner through Keracol’s commercial partnerships.