CJ Biomaterials Creates a Cosmetic Container Made with Bio-Sourced Material

CJ Biomaterials, Inc., a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang and a primary producer of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), developed cosmetic packaging for CJ Olive Young, a health and beauty retail chain in Korea. The new cosmetic case uses CJ Biomaterials’ amorphous PHA technology in combination with polylactic acid (PLA). It is sold under Olive Young’s popular private brand, WakeMake. Launched in Korea on December 21, the WakeMake Water Velvet Vegan Cushion uses vegan cosmetic ingredients and eco-friendly bio-based packaging. CJ Olive Young has 1,200 stores across Korea and a global network in 150 countries.  

PLA has experienced significant growth as a bio-based material in a broad range of finished product applications and is currently the most widely used industrial compostable material in the world, but it has certain limitations. Blending amorphous PHA in PLA leads to significant improvements in the mechanical properties of PLA, such as toughness and ductility leading to improved impact resistance and the creation of elegant shapes. CJ Biomaterials’ amorphous PHA is a softer, more rubbery version of PHA that offers fundamentally different performance characteristics than the crystalline or semi-crystalline forms that currently dominate the PHA market. 

The 100% bio-sourced solution of amorphous PHA and PLA materials were applied to the entire outside of the WakeMake container, replacing acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Some developed countries and leading cosmetic brands are actively making efforts to replace ABS, a petroleum-based, non-biodegradable plastic that is currently widely used in cosmetic containers.  This is the right time to introduce an eco-friendlier package.

“This is an important milestone for CJ Biomaterials, and we expect that the application of bio-based materials in the consumer goods market will expand beyond the release of the WakeMake cushion,” says Seung-Jin Lee, head of the Biomaterials business from CJ CheilJedang. “We will widely promote the use of PHA in various markets, as it is an eco-friendly material that is effective for industrial-scale use. We are proud that our PHA products—which are derived from nature and return to nature—are helping to meet the growing demands from brands and consumers for more environmentally friendly products.”

According to CJ Biomaterials, the announcement caps the end of a successful year. Earlier this year, the company announced commercial-scale production of PHA following the inauguration of its production facility in Pasuruan, Indonesia, becoming the only company in the world that can produce aPHA at scale, which includes CJ Biomaterials’ first product under its new Phact brand, named Phact A1000P. The company also expanded its biomaterials business by establishing relationships with global organizations, including NatureWorks, Yuhan-Kimberly, the Accor hotel chain, and the makeup brand Banilla Co., which plans to launch cosmetics with containers made from bio-sourced materials in early 2023.