Fittingly, the first injection moulded application for CJ Biomaterials’ PHA technology is a 100% biobased cosmetics jar designed for Korean facial care brand Banila Co. Made with CJ Biomaterials’ Phact brand of amorphous PHA, the new jar contains Banila’s plant-based Ceramide Cleansing Balm, part of the company’s Clean It Zero line. The new product is now available at CJ Olive Young’s stores across South Korea.
CJ Biomaterials, Inc., a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, is the world's sole producer of amorphous PHA. Amorphous PHA is a softer, more rubbery version of PHA that offers fundamentally different performance characteristics than crystalline or semi-crystalline forms of PHA. Phact PHA is TUV OK Certified for industrial and home compost, soil biodegradable, and marine biodegradable. As it is home compostable, no specialised equipment or elevated temperatures are required for it to fully degrade.
The Banila Co. cleansing balm jar is the first injection moulded cosmetic jar using CJ Biomaterials’ amorphous PHA that is in direct contact with the formulation inside - a formulation created as part of an agreement between Banila Co. and CJ CheilJedang to introduce more eco-friendly materials. The balm is made with ingredients derived from plants, while the ceramide component is extracted from the seeds of the moringa tree.
In addition to the PHA-based container, biobased materials were used to create the accompanying application spatula. The paper packaging of the product is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified.
The launch of the new container follows on the heels of the introduction of the first consumer brand product back in December - a cosmetic container for the WAKEMAKE Water Velvet Vegan Cushion compact, also sold by retailer Olive Young.
“Consumers want to know that when they make purchases that they are not harming the environment,” said Seung-Jin Lee, head of the Biomaterials Business at CJ CheilJedang. The announcement demonstrates that demand for sustainable products is continuing to rise, he added. “We are committed to continuing to scale production of PHA to meet that demand.”