The organisers of the in-cosmetics tradeshow, which will be held in Hamburg, Germany, on 1-3 April 2014 have announced the 10 finalists for the inaugural Green Ingredient Award.

Organised in association with Organic Monitor, the Green Ingredient Award competition - which honours a raw material or ingredient that makes a significant environmental or social difference in the area of sustainability – garnered more than 50 entrants. Of the 10 finalists, three will go on to win Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The finalists were selected by an expert panel of judges including Dr. Pauline Hili, founder and technical director, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Katharina Post, head galenic development NOC, Weleda, Dr. Erik Schulze zur Wiesche, basic development hair care, Henkel, Amarjit Sahota, president Organic Monitor and Judi Beerling, technical director, Organic Monitor. "Selecting a winner for this award was difficult because of the large number, and high calibre, of entrants. The panellists spent many hours mulling over the finalists and eventual winners," said Amarjit Sahota, president Organic Monitor.

Eventually, finalists include:

– Alban Muller International with Scurvy Grass Extract, a 100% natural extract of the Scurvy Grass plant (Cochlearia officinalis), which is rich in Vitamin C, a recognised anti-ageing agent. Used in the Clarins Capital Lumière range, it has radiance, nourishing and moisturising properties. Scurvy Grass Extract is manufactured in an ISO 14001 certified factory and thanks to selective solvents and a high-performance manufacturing process, Alban Muller International uses less plant, positively impacting transportation, waste and solvent use, as well as carbon footprint.

– Akott with Akosky Apium, a hydrosoluble celery Cell Culture extract which in vitro is very efficient in stimulating pro-collagen I and III, and fibronectin. Akosky Apium is produced from one celery seed which is grown and a leaf used to create liquid cell cultures. This process means no celery plants are grown avoiding the need for soil, water, extractors and organic solvents.

– Citróleo with Organic and Natural Alpha bisabolol, a monocyclic unsaturated sesquiterpene alcohol obtained from the candeia wood (Vanillosmopsis erythropappa) with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antimycotic properties. The whole supply chain is certified by IBD Certificações and thanks to research by Citróleo in partnership with Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) sustainable approaches were defined for the conservation of natural forests of candeia tree.

– Colonial Chemical with Poly Suga Mulse D9, a non-ionic fragrance solubiliser made from 100% biobased raw materials.

– Earth Supplied Products with ESP SafeGuard WS Clear, an inexpensive, all-natural, biodegradeable, sustainable, water soluble plant based extract that provides moisturisation and skin soothing properties, while removing the need for traditional preservatives in many formulas.

– Ephyla with Frametime, a natural emulsion stabiliser especially designed for cold process, saving time and energy. By eliminating the heating step in emulsification, the amount of energy used during the production process is reduced by 100-fold. The emulsification process is also 10-fold faster than hot process.

– Kahai with Kahai Oil, an oil derived from the cacay crop that is 100% natural, rich in vitamin E, F and Retinol that nourishes, softens and repairs damaged skin and hair. Kahai’s mission is to establish the cacay crop as an alternative for sustainable economic development in Colombia to generate income for families in conflict zones, reforest the Amazon region and capture CO2.

– Kalichem Italia with Olivoil Fruttoside, an association of non-ionic surfactants based on fructose, olive oil fatty acids and selected vegetal amino-acids. It displays an intrinsic foaming power superior to SLES and a capacity to boost both foam and viscosity of other common surfactants. Olivoil Fruttoside is obtained through exclusively vegetal sustainable sources and has a biodegradability value superior to 90%.

– Minasolve with MinaCare Pentiol Green+, a new version of pentylene glycol that is produced from renewable vegetal raw materials. This colourless and odourless ingredient has multifunctional properties: moisturising, powerful solubiliser for actives, improvement of the tactile properties of cosmetics and the water resistance of formulations. MinaCare Pentiol Green+ uses feedstock from 100% agricultural waste streams and is manufactured from indigestible natural sugar-polymers. The overall consumption of energy and material resources has been strongly reduced compared to analogous products derived from petrochemical processes.

– Oleas with DIAM’Oléactif, a synergistic concentrate of biomolecules of 100% vegetable origin, extracted from quercus suber and cocs nucifera trees using oleo-eco-extraction patented green technology. Protective, anti-inflammatory and moisturising, DIAM’Oléactif is a result of the combination of three eco-extraction ‘green’ process (mechanical process, supercritical CO2 and oleo-eco-extraction).

The three winners will be announced at an Award Ceremony from 18:00-20:00 on Wednesday 2nd April 2014 during the in-cosmetics tradeshow.