The
use of several ingredients in cosmetic formulations can often
result in long ingredient lists, which can be daunting for consumers.
While each of these particular ingredients serves a purpose, some
are petroleum-based and may have adverse effects on the environment
and human health. Ferulic acid, a p-hydroxycinnamic
acid present in numerous agro-industrial byproducts, exhibits antimicrobial,
antioxidant, and UV-filtering properties. In this work, ferulic acid
was functionalized through chemoenzymatic reaction steps (80 to 93%
isolated yields) applying green chemistry principles, by using various
natural fatty alcohols. The resulting compounds have demonstrated
good emollient properties through physicochemical and spreading evaluations.
Two green metrics (Mass Intensity and Ecoscale) were used to assess
the synthesis of these novel emollients, which were found to have
a very low environmental impact. The findings of this study could
provide a novel solution for multifunctional, biobased ingredients
in cosmetic formulations while reducing the environmental impact of
the products.