In 2025, cosmetics and personal care product manufacturers continue to face increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and meet evolving regulations and consumer expectations. According to a 2022 report from McKinsey & Company, one of the big challenges is addressing Scope 3 emissions, which can account for up to 90% of a company’s carbon footprint.
In response, innovative ingredient solutions like Endurocal calcium carbonate (ECC) are emerging as important tools to reduce environmental impact without sacrificing product performance.
Launched by CarbonFree, an organization specializing in carbon capture technology, Endurocal is the world’s first zero-carbon mineral, according to the company. Unlike traditional calcium carbonate, which is typically mined from natural sources, Endurocal is created from recycled carbon dioxide captured directly from industrial emissions through CarbonFree’s patented SkyCycle process.
The result is a net-zero carbon footprint ingredient with superior brightness, whiteness, and performance properties tailored for formulations in cosmetics, personal care, and other industries.
In this CosmeticsDesign Q&A, Martin Keighley, CEO of CarbonFree, explains how we provide cosmetic formulators with innovative, cost-competitive solutions that reduce their carbon footprint while improving product quality.
CDU: Can you tell us more about how Endurocal differentiates itself from other calcium carbonate products on the market, especially cosmetics and personal care formulations?
Martin Keighley (MK): EnduroCal Calcium Carbonate (ECC) is made from recycled carbon. More specifically, it is derived from carbon dioxide captured directly from a point source emitter, which then reacts with calcium chloride.
Calcium chloride is manufactured on-site using in-process hydrochloric acid and calcium recycled from inert materials not previously used in paints, plastics, health care, cosmetics, or personal care applications. Masu. This process allows control of particle size, particle size distribution (PSD), and brightness.
Cosmetic and personal care formulators will now have access to superior brightness over traditional calcium carbonate sources, both synthetic and natural.
CDU: What are the main benefits of using Endurocal for cosmetic manufacturers and how does Endurocal improve the performance of traditional PCC or GCC in formulations?
M.K.: ECC has better whiteness and color than traditional precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and ground calcium carbonate (GCC). This allows us to reduce the amount of optical brighteners and other skin lightening agents in our formulations.
CDU: How does Endurocal align with current industry trends that prioritize sustainability, such as reducing Scope 3 emissions?
M.K.: ECC derived from recycled materials allows C&PC formulators to directly and responsibly reduce Scope 3 emissions. The process to create ECC uses CarbonFree’s patented SkyCycle technology, which was modeled by Trinity Consultants, Inc., a highly regarded third-party consultant group, to reduce carbon footprint. It will be negative.
However, ECC is now being marketed as the world’s first net-zero carbon calcium carbonate. Utilizing ECC directly in formulations reduces Scope 3 emissions for customers and formulators.
CDU: What is the potential impact of adopting Endurocal on a cosmetics company’s carbon footprint? Are there any quantitative benefits you can share?
M.K.: Whether PCC or GCC, each replacement amount of calcium carbonate has the direct benefit of reducing the carbon footprint of that replacement amount to zero. For example, the carbon footprint of PCC is between 1.0 and 0.78 in 100-year global warming potential (GWP), or put differently, between 1.0 and 0.78 per tonne of CO2e/tonne of PCC.
ECC, as commercially available today, effectively reduces that value to zero. Another advantage of the SkyCycle process is that the output is an inert powder and the amount of CO2 captured is easily explained by a simple mass balance.
Chemistry becomes an accountant.
CDU: Can you tell us more about the SkyCycle process used to manufacture Endurocal? How does this technology contribute to the product’s zero carbon footprint?
M.K.: The SkyCycle process is a chemical cycle that primarily utilizes magnesium. When CO2 reacts with magnesium hydroxide, magnesium bicarbonate is produced.
Magnesium bicarbonate reacts with calcium chloride to precipitate calcium carbonate, which is endurocal. What remains is magnesium chloride.
The process then stops. However, heating magnesium chloride produces magnesium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid.
The magnesium hydroxide we saw earlier is used to start the reaction, and the hydrochloric acid is either sold or used to dissolve calcium from waste to produce calcium chloride, which was used earlier in the process.
The process uses CO2 that is discarded into the atmosphere, so when combined with the utilization of an on-site waste calcium source, it proves to be a carbon-negative process.
CDU: For cosmetic applications, what advantages does Endurocal have over other options in terms of absorption, texture and opacity?
M.K.: Remarkable hydrophobicity and oil absorption of ECC were observed. This helps not only in building structure, but also in improving texture.
Very high whiteness also results in high opacity.
CDU: How does Endurocal’s high purity and customizable particle size enable innovation in the development of personal care products such as powders, creams and lotions?
M.K.: The composition of ECC does not contain detectable crystalline silica. In fact, silica is not detected. ECC can also be manufactured to pharmaceutical grade, resulting in very high purity.
Particle sizes are in the low micron range, with very few fine or oversized particles demonstrated.
CDU: What kind of feedback have you received from cosmetic and personal care formulators regarding Endurocal’s performance in their products?
M.K.: Although we have not yet received concrete feedback from formulators in the cosmetics and personal care industry, we are optimistic given the very positive response from other application areas. Endurocal values improved product quality, such as improved texture and absorbency, as well as environmental benefits.
CDU: Cost can be an important factor for manufacturers. How does Endurocal’s cost compare to traditional calcium carbonate products, and what cost benefits does it offer in the long run?
M.K.: ECC is cost competitive with most calcium carbonates currently in use. Additionally, the reduction in Scope 3 emissions experienced by formulators can potentially be monetized by companies using ECC in their formulations.
CDU: What role do you think sustainable minerals like Endurocal will play in shaping the future of the cosmetics and personal care industry?
MK: As a supplier to the C&PC industry, we have an obligation to reduce our emissions. All mineral companies are working hard to do just that.
However, all sources today begin at a mining source, which in the case of calcium carbonate is a natural storage site for CO2. In the case of PCC production, the CO2 is actually released into the atmosphere by mining that “stored CO2 source”. Alternatively, the carbon footprint of direct mining, sizing and distribution of calcium carbonate is still quite high.
The more inputs into your process that come from sustainable sources, the more you can reduce your carbon footprint. For Endurocal, it is a truly sustainable mineral as it is already obtained from a carbon negative process, something no other mineral manufacturer can claim today.
We see technologies such as Endurocal becoming more widely used by cosmetics companies as consumers continue to demand more sustainable and ethically sourced products. Some studies have pinpointed consumer interest in the science behind products, and these conscious consumers will appreciate the innovative processes used to create their favorite products.
CDU: Beyond cosmetics, are there any lessons or strategies from other industries that have adopted Endurocal that would be valuable for personal care manufacturers?
M.K.: As already mentioned, ECC is a direct Scope 3 reduction strategy. All formulations that can replace existing calcium carbonate with ECC will directly benefit from responsible Scope 3 reduction.
Furthermore, if the benefits of ECC can be fully exploited to further optimize formulations, formulators have the potential to replace other high carbon emission materials such as TiO2.
CDU: What are the biggest challenges or barriers to entry you foresee for cosmetic companies looking to incorporate Endurocal into their formulations?
M.K.: One of the big trends in the cosmetics industry is the use of natural and biologically derived materials. ECC comes from synthetic sources. But if you look at the big picture, the actual chemistry is simple salt chemistry, which occurs naturally on a daily basis.
We are simply directing the process in a controlled manner.
CDU: What’s next for CarbonFree and Endurocal? Are there any further developments or enhancements planned for this technology?
M.K.: We work with point source emitters nationally and internationally, including major industry leaders who recognize the value of using Endurocal today.
We expect to see some announcements along these lines in early 2025.
