The “Clean Beauty” movement is no longer just a niche trend for a few boutique brands; it has become a fundamental, unstoppable shift in the entire cosmetics industry. Today’s educated consumers are demanding products that are not only high-performing and long-lasting but also formulated with safe, natural, sustainable, and ethically sourced ingredients. This has placed immense pressure on cosmetic formulators to find high-performance alternatives to traditional synthetic and petroleum-based polymers that have dominated the industry for decades. Enter bleached shellac: a versatile, natural film-former in cosmetics that is making a major comeback as a hero ingredient for modern formulations.
What Does a Film Former Do?
Film formers are the unsung, invisible heroes of many cosmetic products. While pigments get the glory for color and active ingredients for skincare benefits, film formers are the workhorses that make the product usable. They are responsible for creating a thin, cohesive, and flexible layer on the skin, hair, or nails upon application. This film is what provides essential performance properties like hold and structure in hairsprays, gels, and styling products. In color cosmetics like nail polish, eyeliner, and mascara, it provides adhesion and durability, keeping the product in place through wear and tear. It also offers essential water resistance, preventing makeup from smudging or running during the day due to sweat or tears, and adds a lustrous gloss and shine to hair or nails.
Traditionally, these vital roles have been filled by synthetic polymers like PVP/VA copolymers or acrylates. While effective, these ingredients are increasingly falling out of favor with eco-conscious consumers looking for “clean labels” free from microplastics and petrochemicals.
Shellac: The Bio-Based Alternative
Shellac is a unique bio-based makeup binder and film former that offers a compelling solution. Sourced from a renewable insect resin, it offers a compelling set of natural properties that are perfectly suited for modern, high-performance cosmetic formulations:
- Superior Hold & Shine for Hair: Using shellac in hairspray is not a new idea; it was a staple ingredient in classic formulations for decades for a very good reason. It provides a strong yet flexible hold along with a brilliant, natural-looking shine that many modern synthetics struggle to replicate without looking “plastic” or feeling crunchy and stiff on the hair.
- Long-Lasting Adhesion for Color Cosmetics: In products like mascaras, liquid eyeliners, and nail polishes, shellac’s natural adhesive properties help the pigments grip the lash, lid, or nail effectively. This significantly improves wear time and resistance to flaking, smudging, or chipping, which are primary consumer complaints.
- Water Resistance: Once dried, the shellac film is naturally water-resistant. This makes it an excellent choice for formulating long-wear and smudge-proof products that need to hold up against humidity, sweat, or tears, a key claim for many modern makeup products.
The Importance of Bleached Shellac
For color cosmetics, clarity and color neutrality are absolutely crucial. Standard, unrefined shellac has a natural amber tint that would interfere with a product’s carefully calibrated shade. You cannot use an orange ingredient in a clear lip gloss or a bright blue mascara. Bleached shellac has been carefully refined to be clear and virtually colorless. This makes it an incredibly versatile ingredient that won’t alter the intended color of a mascara, a vibrant lipstick, or a clear nail base coat, allowing the pigments to shine truly.
Conclusion:
As the demand for botanical cosmetic ingredients continues to grow, SK Shellac offers formulators a high-performance, natural solution that doesn’t require a compromise on quality or longevity. Our refined bleached shellac allows brands to create clean, sustainable beauty products without sacrificing the critical performance traits like hold, shine, and wear time that consumers expect from their favorite products.