The winners of this year’s Green Ingredient Awards at in-cosmetics Barcelona have been announced.

The award honours a raw material or ingredient that makes a significant environmental or social difference in the area of sustainability.

French pharmaceutical company Laboratoires Expanscience was awarded Gold for Aqualicia, a sustainable ingredient derived from Acacia Macrostachya seeds. Aqualicia is a biomimetic active ingredient, which offers increased water content maintenance and distribution in the skin.

Australian biotechnology company Marinova Pty Ltd achieved the silver award for Maritech Reverse, a low molecular weight extract containing 85% fucoidan. Extracted from organic Undaria pinnatifida seaweed grown in the remote and pristine ocean waters of Patagonia, Maritech Reverse has been developed specifically for anti-ageing, soothing and protective skin care applications.

Bronze was awarded to French natural exfoliating ingredients company Lessonia for Celluloscrub, a renewable and biodegradable white scrub made from wood pulp which is said to offer the same high performance of polyethylene beads.