Clean Food Group, THG, and Croda partner to launch sustainable palm oil alternative
The partners offer a low-impact, high-performance alternative to conventional oils by upcycling food waste into bio-equivalent oil.
UK – Clean Food Group (CFG), The Hut Group (THG), and Croda have partnered to launch CLEAN Oil™ 25, a sustainable palm oil alternative for the beauty and personal care sector.
This ingredient, produced through the fermentation of food waste using yeast strains, has recently secured regulatory approval for cosmetic use in the UK, Europe, and the US, opening commercial pathways for its adoption in formulations across these markets.
This collaboration combines CFG’s biotechnology expertise and proprietary CLEAN OilCell™ technology, THG LABS’ 30+ years of innovation and manufacturing experience in beauty products, and Croda’s global speciality chemical manufacturing capabilities.
The partners offer a low-impact, high-performance alternative to conventional oils, such as palm oil, which is both agriculturally intensive and environmentally burdensome, by upcycling food waste into bio-equivalent oil.
The approval, announced at the BBIA UK BioFinance Summit 2025 in London in the presence of senior government ministers, highlights the importance of joint innovation efforts in scaling biotech advances for sustainable supply chains.
Clean Food Group CEO Alex Neves empasized on these milestones, stating, “This is a pivotal step forward in our mission to provide sustainable solutions for global supply chains. In terms of the beauty industry and product development, it gives brands the confidence to adopt Clean Oil 25 in their formulations, supporting efficacy and responsibility without compromise.”
Damian Kelly, Croda’s VP of Innovation & Technology Development, underscored Croda’s role in scaling Clean Food Group’s technology from lab to commercial production.
Meanwhile, THG Labs’ Kristal Goodman emphasized their shared commitment to lowering the beauty industry’s ecological impact through sustainable raw materials innovation.
The partnership targets the global personal care and cosmetics sector, valued at approximately USD 776 billion by 2030, aiming to address growing sustainability demands with scalable, price-competitive alternatives to palm oil, which is used in 70% of cosmetic products.
Regulatory consultancy Delphic HSE oversaw the approval process, ensuring the ingredient adhered to cosmetic safety and compliance requirements.
This marks a significant advancement toward greener beauty formulations and reduced environmental footprint in the personal care supply chain.
In a similar move, Mibelle Group, in collaboration with partners LanzaTech and the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), recently pioneered a breakthrough sustainable palm oil alternative produced from captured CO2.
Using a novel two-stage fermentation process, this technology converts greenhouse gas CO2 directly into a fat blend that mimics the crucial properties and composition of traditional palm oil, making it suitable for cosmetics and other everyday product applications.
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