An’du and Holiferm partner to produce the first shampoo bar containing bio-surfactants in the UK
An’du, a small family run company in South West London, is using Holiferm’s HoneySurf sophorolipid to produce a shampoo bar in the UK for the very first time. The 100g bar is environmentally friendly, biodegradable and comes in compostable packaging.
An’du is a small, family run company established in 2018 in South West London. Mother and daughter Tina and Lizzy Grayson, committed to living sustainably in their personal lives, decided to have a go at making their own shampoo bars in an attempt to reduce their own plastic usage. They spent three years formulating in the kitchen, which led them to develop the first shampoo bar in the UK market to contain bio-surfactants; gentle cleansers made from fermentation as opposed to traditional chemical processes.
An’du’s first bar, “Back to Basics” is pH balanced, 97% plant based, and sulphate and silicone free. The bar is biodegradable and the packaging is printed with vegetable-based inks, making it completely compostable. Each 100g bar lasts for 60-80 washes, saving on average three plastic bottles from ending up in landfill, and 750ml of water. Due to their partnership with the World Land Trust, each bar also saves 0.25m2 of endangered tropical rainforest. An’du’s aims for the future are to be as sustainable as possible, while further exploring the positive effects that bio-surfactants and sophorolipids have on the scalp microbiome.
Holiferm was founded on the back of patented gravity separation technology developed at the University of Manchester. As a company it aims to disrupt the market and replace all petrochemical produced surfactants with naturally produced biosurfactants. They use yeast derived from honey to produce biosurfactants using a continuous cycle method, which makes them not only more economically viable, but more environmentally friendly too. The biosurfactants have applications in many products found around the home including cosmetics, skin care, shower gels and hand cleansers. Currently there are two products on the market; HoneySurf and HoliSurf. They both come in two versions LF and HF. LF is highly lactonic and produces a low amount of foam. HF is highly acidic and produces a high volume of foam.
Managing Director of Holiferm, Richard Lock noted of the new partnership, “At Holiferm we are not just about partnering with the big companies, we see the benefits in working with and supporting independent companies too. Our partnership with An’du allows us to see our sophorolipids in use. We also love their green credentials, which combine well with our own mission to make chemical manufacturing more sustainable and environmentally friendly.”
Co-founder of An’du, Lizzy Grayson stated, “We were so excited to discover Holiferm and their new environmentally friendly methods of manufacturing surfactants. Traditionally, the surfactants (cleansing agents) used in shampoos are made via chemical processes, but Holiferm’s gravity separation technology eliminates the need for chemicals which means the whole process is more sustainable. What’s more is that Holiferm’s sophorolipids have recently been classed as post-biotics which has promising implications for supporting the scalp microbiome.”
For more information on An’du and to purchase their shampoo bars please visit their website www.an-du.co.uk or contact lizzy@an-du.co.uk or tina@an-du.co.uk . You can also find them on Facebook at an.duFB and Instagram at an.du.insta .
For more information about Holiferm, HoneySurf and HoliSurf please visit www.holiferm.com or contact info@holiferm.com.
