Shiseido Launches AI Technologies to Enhance Biodegradability and Safety of Cosmetic Ingredients

The new biodegradability assessment method aligns with the industry's increasing focus on materials that can naturally decompose, contributing to sustainability. The safety information identification system will enhance accuracy and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Shiseido stated, "These technologies will reduce reliance on individual expertise in R&D, streamline processes, and strengthen responses to environmental and human safety issues, ultimately benefiting the cosmetics industry and promoting a sustainable society."

With rising consumer demand for sustainable, non-synthetic products, cosmetic ingredient suppliers have been seeking biodegradable and bio-based alternatives. Recently, Eastman and Kolmar Korea have teamed up to create natural ingredients derived from tree-based cellulose and biodegradable polymers, while Afyren and Esse Skincare have launched what they claim is the first bio-based propionic acid for personal care.

Shiseido's AI biodegradability assessment tool aims to simplify the research process for biodegradable ingredients, which is typically time-consuming and costly, often influenced by the expertise of individual researchers. In partnership with the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in Tokyo, the AI tool predicts the biodegradability of ingredients based on their chemical structures and degradation rates.

This approach builds on an AI-based quantitative structure-activity relationship (AI-QSAR) model developed for Japan's chemical regulation laws, enhancing the government's chemical safety monitoring efforts. Shiseido noted that the AI-QSAR model achieves high predictive accuracy for biodegradability by comparing calculated predictions with actual measured values.

Additionally, the second AI tool developed by Shiseido focuses on swiftly gathering safety information on cosmetic ingredients, including data on repeated-dose toxicity and skin sensitization. This helps mitigate individual biases and allows experts to concentrate on final safety assessments. Shiseido remarked that this research enhances the precision and reliability of safety evaluations, facilitating better resource allocation for new research and talent cultivation.

This development comes at a time when the industry is pushing for greater transparency in ingredient standards. In the previous year, major beauty retailers like Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Credo Beauty collaborated to create a comprehensive overview of the ingredients used in US beauty products. Meanwhile, regulatory measures are tightening in Nigeria to address safety concerns in the cosmetics sector, and New Zealand's Environmental Protection Authority has updated its ingredient safety rules to align more closely with the EU's regulations.