What is upcycling?

Upcycling is a practice that involves the reuse of waste materials to create new objects of higher value than the original ones. At the core of this concept are two pillars of the green philosophy: "zero waste," which aims to minimize waste generated by industrial processes, and circular economy, which seeks to reuse products that have reached the end of their lifecycle.

What's the difference between upcycling and recycling?

In 1994, German mechanical engineer Reiner Pilz, in an interview for the architecture magazine Salvo, referred to recycling as "down-cycling." He said, "What we need is upcycling, where old products are given more value, not less."

It is clear that traditional recycling and upcycling approaches differ. Traditional recycling involves processing an object to obtain a product with the same initial functionality, such as turning a recycled glass bottle back into a glass bottle. However, recycled products often have inferior characteristics compared to the original ones. For example, recycled paper undergoes fiber alteration during the recycling process, resulting in reduced strength. Through upcycling, on the other hand, it is possible to create products of higher quality than the original materials.

Agro-Cosmetics: How Upcycling Applies to Beauty

An exemplary application of upcycling in the beauty industry is agro-cosmetics, a process that utilizes natural and organic ingredients derived from fruits and vegetables to create sustainable and environmentally-friendly cosmetics. In this case, the upcycling process enhances by-products of the agri-food chain that would otherwise become waste and transforms them into skincare products.

Any examples?

Fruit Peels, Seeds, and Twigs

Industrial processes involved in fruit juice production generate vast amounts of waste. However, it has been discovered that non-edible parts, such as peels and twigs, contain higher amounts of bioactive compounds compared to the edible portions. For instance, apple, grape, and citrus peels, as well as avocado and mango seeds, contain up to 15% more polyphenols than the pulp. Additionally, lemon peels can be used to extract pectin, a valuable texturizing agent that contributes to pleasant consistencies in many cosmetic products.

Dried Fruit and Vegetables

The dried fruit industry is another significant source of compounds relevant to agro-cosmetics. Crushing and pressing the shells of hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and almonds yield natural oils with a high content of fatty acids, which can be used as emollients and lipidizers. Additionally, the leftover dry residues, such as flours, can serve as thickeners. Non-edible parts of vegetables also contain interesting phytonutrients that can enhance cosmetic products. For example, pumpkin seeds can be used to extract high-quality virgin oils, and tomato processing can yield lycopene, a valuable antioxidant agent.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Upcycling

Undoubtedly, one of the major advantages of the circular economy process of upcycling is the reduction of waste by reusing materials that would otherwise need to be managed as waste, incurring transportation, storage, and disposal costs. This aspect is crucial as it makes upcycling more energy-efficient compared to recycling processes, which still incur costs associated with material processing. Additionally, it is important to consider that even recycled products have a finite lifespan and will eventually need to be disposed of, while upcycling processes like agro-cosmetics generate very minimal waste.

Of course, alongside significant gains in energy and environmental aspects, there are also costs involved. These costs primarily lie in the research required to understand how to convert waste materials into more valuable products. Furthermore, another aspect to consider is that the final product obtained, having acquired higher value, will have a corresponding cost that takes into account this improvement.

At Maycos, we firmly believe that upcycling applied to the world of cosmetics offers us a tremendous opportunity that we cannot afford to miss: the recovery of precious compounds bestowed upon us by nature, without wasting them. Agro-cosmetics represents a circular economy challenge that can benefit not only the well-being of our skin but also, and above all, the well-being of our planet. This is where Maycos aims to increasingly contribute in the future.

Visit our website to discover all the latest developments in this regard.