Bio-on's Minerv Bio Cosmetics bioplastic obtains international NATRUE certification

Bio-on's Minerv Bio Cosmetics bioplastic obtains international NATRUE certification.

The special bioplastic, called Minerv Bio Cosmetics, is designed for the cosmetics of the future.   The 100% Natural Certification issued by NATRUE is a guarantee for human health, the environment and is recognised worldwide.   Minerv Bio Cosmetics respects the environment: like all PHAs bioplastics developed by Bio-on, it is 100% natural and biodegradable.

BOLOGNA, 13 November 2017 - The international organisation NATRUE, which promotes and certifies natural and organic cosmetics and ingredients, has issued "100% Natural" certification to Bio-on for its Minerv Bio Cosmetics micro plastics, the new type of PHAs bioplastic designed and developed by Bio-on for the cosmetics of the future. NATRUE certification is a guarantee for human health and the environment and is based on rigorous standards that have demonstrated the completely natural origin of the microbeads contained in Minerv Bio Cosmetics biopolymers which, like all the bioplastics developed by Bio-on, are 100% biocompatible and biodegradable.

The NATRUE certification standard, designed to enable consumers to recognise truly natural and organic cosmetics, is set out by an independent scientific committee and verified by certifiers known for their restrictive, rigorous approach, whose assessment does not stop with the raw materials but checks the entire origin and supply chain. Minerv Bio Cosmetics has been certified by NATRUE as a 100% natural product.

"We chose to certify our biopolymers with NATRUE," explains Bio-on Chairman and CEO Marco Astorri, "because it is a centre of global excellence. The certification issued by NATRUE rewards Bio-on's intuition in the cosmetics field and the scientific staff at our CNS division (Cosmetic, Nanomedicine and Smart materials). NATRUE certification confirms that Minerv Bio Cosmetics is one of the biggest innovations in the cosmetics sector in recent years. For us," concludes Astorri, "it's a major milestone ahead of the production set to begin in 2018 at new plants in Castel San Pietro Terme, Bologna."

"There are companies around the world," explains Paolo Saettone, head of the CNS Business Unit (Cosmetic, Nanomedicine and Smart materials), "offering so-called "natural" products that are actually only fractionally "green" or are labelled "biodegradable" while neglecting to point out that they biodegrade in an 'assisted way only'. Our great innovation," explains Saettone, "lies in replacing the polluting microbeads contained in many cosmetic formulations with a completely ecological material and simultaneously in improving performances thanks to exceptional oil absorption teamed with a smooth, soft focus effect."

                                                                                                                       
All the PHAs bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates) developed by Bio-on are made from renewable plant sources with no competition with food supply chains. They guarantee the same thermo-mechanical properties as conventional plastics with the advantage of being 100% eco-sustainable and naturally biodegradable. Minerv Bio Cosmetics will be manufactured by Bio-on at its new plant, under construction in Castel San Pietro Terme outside Bologna over an area of 30,000 m². It will have 3,700 m² covered space and 6,000 m² land for development. When it becomes operational, in the first half of 2018, it will have a production capacity of 1,000 tons per year, rapidly expandable to 2,000. The plant, in which Bio-on is investing 20 million Euro, will be equipped with the very latest technologies and the most cutting-edge laboratories to meet the requirements of cosmetics companies around the world.

Links for further information:

All cosmetics (not just natural and organic ones) must comply with EU Regulation 1223/2009.
Organic cosmetics must comply with (EC) Regulation no. 834/2007. 
The criteria of the NATRUE standard are summarised in the following document:
http://www.natrue.org/fileadmin/natrue/downloads/Criteria_3.6/IT-NATRUE-Label_Requirements_V3.6.pdf

Press information
Simona Vecchies +393351245190 - press@bio-on.it - Twitter @BioOnBioplastic

Bio-on S.p.A.

Bio-On S.p.A., an Italian Intellectual Property Company (IPC), operates in the bioplastic sector conducting applied research and development of modern bio-fermentation technologies in the field of eco-sustainable and completely naturally biodegradable materials. In particular, Bio-On develops industrial applications through the creation of product characterisations, components and plastic items. Since February 2015, Bio-On S.p.A. has also been operating in the development of natural and sustainable chemicals for the future. Bio-On has developed an exclusive process for the production of a family of polymers called PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) from agricultural waste (including molasses and sugar cane and sugar beet syrups). The bioplastic produced in this way is able to replace the main families of conventional plastics in terms of performance, thermo-mechanical properties and versatility. Bio-On PHAs is a bioplastic that can be classified as 100% natural and completely biodegradable: this has been certified by Vincotte and by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The Issuer's strategy envisages the marketing of licenses for PHAs production and related ancillary services, the development of R&D (also through new collaborations with universities, research centres and industrial partners), as well as the realisation of industrial plants designed by Bio-On.