• Surfactant experts at ICIS highlight Locus Ingredients’ expanded line of sophorolipid biosurfactants as a finalist for Best Product Innovation from an SME category.
• Amphi biosurfactants offer USDA certified 100% biobased, readily biodegradable and highly biocompatible biosurfactant alternatives to traditional surfactants.
• Best Product Innovation Category recognizes new offerings in the chemical industry that demonstrate environmental and sustainability competitive advantages.

SOLON, Ohio (July 25, 2023) Independent Commodity Intelligence Service (ICIS) has announced the shortlist for its 20^th Annual Innovation Awards, naming Locus Ingredients as a best product innovation finalist. The ingredient company was recognized for its Amphi^® line of sophorolipids—a type of biosurfactant in the glycolipid class. The USDA-certified 100% biobased biosurfactants have a low carbon footprint and can outperform traditional surfactants and other bio-based surfactants. The novel multifunctional ingredients are expediting the development of clean-label products with higher performance in industrial applications.

“This recognition reflects the value of these ingredients and their ability to shape a greener future for the chemicals industry.”

“We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of biosurfactant solutions in both performance and sustainability,” said Greg Smith, vice president Americas at Locus Ingredients. “The expanded Amphi line gives formulators access to superior sophorolipids that can be used in clean-label products, including direct release applications. This recognition reflects the value of these ingredients and their ability to shape a greener future for the chemicals industry.”

Innovation Awards’ Shortlist Highlights Multifunctionality of Expanded Amphi Line of Sophorolipids 

In December 2022, Locus Ingredients expanded its Amphi line of sophorolipid biosurfactants to maximize product performance and sustainability in the global industrial surfactant market. New ingredients, Amphi CL and Amphi CH, join TSCA-registered Amphi M to provide customizable biosurfactant solutions for broader use in industrial product applications, including:

• institutional and industrial cleaning (I&I)
• metalworking fluids
• coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE)
• agricultural adjuvants
• and more

The Amphi biosurfactant line expansion gives product formulators a wider range of functionality and efficacy that’s unmatched by other bio-based surfactants. The biosurfactants can be formulated as degreasers (Amphi M), emulsifiers (Amphi CL) and detergents (Amphi CH). They can also be used with bio-based co-surfactants, supplying a suite of new formularies.

The sophorolipids meet compliance requirements such as REACH registration, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and CleanGredients approval for use in Safer Choice-certified products, including for direct release applications. Locus Ingredients also offers a formulary library, ranging from glass cleaners to car washes, and access to a new technical service department. This enables formulators to fast-track new product development.

“What sets the Amphi ingredient line apart is its low critical micelle concentration, nonionic and anionic characteristics and improved surface tension reduction, which results in lower dosage, lower in-formula cost and superior performance,” Smith said. “The most appealing feature of the Amphi biosurfactant line is the ability to match-pair. This allows formulators to dial in the solvency and detergency needed for many of today’s cleaning challenges and industrial applications.”

Amphi Biosurfactants Meet Formulator Need for Clean-Label Ingredients as Chemical Restrictions Rise

Recently, regulators and policy makers have set restrictions on the use of some surfactant ingredients and ‘Forever Chemicals’ such as 1,4-dioxane and PFAS. The restrictions have pushed product formulators to look for sustainable alternatives that minimize the use of these ingredients.

Locus Ingredients’ Amphi line of biosurfactants offers unique advantages over chemical-based ingredients and other bio-based surfactants. The sophorolipids are produced from renewable materials have a low carbon footprint, are readily biodegradable, non-GMO and free of petrochemicals and palm oil.

“The adoption of biosurfactants as chemical alternatives in green chemistry has been limited by expensive production methods with restricted capacities,” said Smith. “Locus Ingredients offers a solution by enabling the commercial production of high-activity, multifunctional biosurfactants in a much shorter time frame and at a significantly lower cost than traditional processes, while also having a low carbon footprint.”

The ICIS Innovation Awards recognize and reward companies paving the way in product, process and digital innovations, which demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. Winners for each category will be announced at the ICIS Innovation Awards 2023, happening October 17 in Savoy, London. To learn more about Amphi and Locus Ingredients, visit LocusIngredients.com.

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About Locus Ingredients
Locus Ingredients is an award-winning green tech company dedicated to developing environmentally friendly biosurfactant solutions that replace legacy surfactants and eliminate regulatory challenges in CPG and industrial markets. Using advanced, modular fermentation technology with a low carbon footprint, the team creates performance-driven, sustainable ingredients that are USDA certified as 100% biobased and non-GMO, with no palm oil, Proposition 65, EO, formaldehyde or other trace chemicals. Each multifunctional ingredient can be used in a multitude of personal care, household and industrial applications, with low usage rates, superb multifunctionality and superior performance. Locus Ingredients gets its core scientific capabilities from its parent company, Locus Fermentation Solutions (Locus FS), an Ohio-based, globally recognized biosurfactant company. For more information, visit LocusIngredients.com.

About ICIS

ICIS – Independent Commodity Intelligence Services – helps businesses through seamlessly delivering data and analytics, across the chemical, fertilizer and energy markets. A trusted source and benchmark for price information and insight across key commodities markets worldwide. Our independent, transparent market intelligence informs thousands of quality decisions every day, taking the pressure out of negotiations and giving customers space for more innovative thinking, through published datasets including price assessments, price forecasts, supply and demand fundamentals and more.

Over 150 years of shaping the world by connecting markets to optimise the world’s valuable resources. With a global team of more than 600 experts, ICIS has employees based in London, New York, Houston, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo and Perth.

ICIS is part of RELX, a FTSE15 company with a market cap of £47bn and an employee base of over 35,000 experts across 40 countries.