CH-Bioforce Wins Ingredient Innovation Award: HAIRFORSENSE®

HAIRFORSENSE® wins Ingredient Innovation of the Year at the European Natural Beauty Awards 2026

A Finnish innovation transforming agricultural side streams into high-performance hairstyling ingredients has received international recognition. CH-Bioforce’s HAIRFORSENSE has been awarded Ingredient Innovation of the Year at the European Natural Beauty Awards 2026, held in Paris on 29 September.

The award recognises the development of a new generation of bio-based hairstyling technology that combines advanced biomass fractionation with functional performance.

For CH-Bioforce, the recognition represents a significant milestone in its mission to unlock the value of renewable biomass and develop practical alternatives to fossil-derived materials.

 

A European award for Finnish biomaterial innovation

The European Natural Beauty Awards celebrate excellence and innovation across the natural beauty industry, bringing together ingredient suppliers, cosmetics brands and professionals advancing sustainable beauty solutions.

In 2026, HAIRFORSENSE was selected among the Top 8 Natural Raw Ingredients of the Year and subsequently awarded Ingredient Innovation of the Year.

The category recognises developments that introduce meaningful scientific or functional advances in cosmetic ingredients.

For CH-Bioforce, the award highlights the possibilities of combining material science, innovative processing technologies and renewable raw materials to address the needs of modern cosmetic formulation.

 

Why hairstyling deserves greater attention in sustainable cosmetics

While skincare, makeup and general haircare have received considerable attention in the development of sustainable cosmetic ingredients, hairstyling has often remained a less visible category in this transition.

Styling products continue to depend heavily on conventional synthetic film-forming polymers to provide essential properties such as hold, texture, curl definition and control. These functional requirements make the development of renewable alternatives particularly challenging.

Compared with other areas of cosmetics, progress towards more sustainable hairstyling ingredients has been slower, despite the clear need for new materials that combine reliable performance with more responsible raw material sourcing.

This makes the Ingredient Innovation of the Year award particularly meaningful. By recognising HAIRFORSENSE, the European Natural Beauty Awards also draw attention to a category where further research, material development and formulation innovation could make a significant difference.

 

Why hairstyling needs new material solutions

Developing renewable alternatives to conventional hairstyling polymers requires meeting demanding performance and formulation requirements.

Today, cosmetic manufacturers face increasing pressure to reconsider their raw material choices.

Regulatory developments concerning microplastics, growing interest in renewable ingredients and rising expectations for environmental responsibility are driving demand for new alternatives.

However, replacing a conventional styling polymer presents a complex formulation challenge.

An effective alternative must provide the desired styling functionality while maintaining a pleasant sensory experience and compatibility with finished formulations.

This is the challenge HAIRFORSENSE was developed to address.

 

From oat husk to high-performance hairstyling

HAIRFORSENSE is a patent-pending, bio-based polymer system developed by CH-Bioforce using renewable Finnish oat husk side streams.

Oat husk is a residual material generated during oat processing. Through advanced biomass fractionation, its valuable components can be recovered and developed into functional materials for higher-value applications.

CH-Bioforce’s proprietary BIOFORSENSE® technology enables the fractionation of biomass into valuable biopolymer components.
In HAIRFORSENSE, these renewable materials are engineered into a polymer system designed to provide the functionality required in modern hairstyling.

The technology offers several benefits for cosmetic formulators:

• Flexible hold: Supporting styling performance while allowing natural hair movement.
• Curl definition: Helping create and maintain defined curls.
• Frizz control: Improving manageability and the overall appearance of styled hair.
• Pleasant sensory properties: Supporting a soft, touchable finish without unwanted stiffness or heavy buildup.
• Renewable material sourcing: Making use of Finnish agricultural side streams as an alternative raw material source.
• Microplastic-free formulation opportunities: Supporting the development of hairstyling products without conventional synthetic microplastic contributing polymers.

 

By addressing both functionality and raw material sourcing, HAIRFORSENSE offers a new approach to developing bio-based hairstyling products.

 

The wider potential of biomass fractionation

The innovation behind HAIRFORSENSE builds on CH-Bioforce’s expertise in biomass fractionation.

Agricultural and industrial side streams contain valuable components that can be further refined into functional materials. Developing processes to recover and utilise these components creates opportunities for more efficient resource use and higher-value products.

For the cosmetics industry, advanced fractionation technologies can provide access to new classes of renewable ingredients with properties suitable for demanding applications.

This approach also supports the principles of circular bioeconomy by creating additional value from materials that already exist within production processes.

HAIRFORSENSE demonstrates how this potential can be translated into a specific cosmetic application, bringing together innovative raw material processing and targeted formulation performance.

The innovation behind HAIRFORSENSE builds on CH-Bioforce’s expertise in biomass fractionation.

Agricultural and industrial side streams contain valuable components that can be further refined into functional materials. Developing processes to recover and utilise these components creates opportunities for more efficient resource use and higher-value products.

For the cosmetics industry, advanced fractionation technologies can provide access to new classes of renewable ingredients with properties suitable for demanding applications.

This approach also supports the principles of circular bioeconomy by creating additional value from materials that already exist within production processes.

HAIRFORSENSE demonstrates how this potential can be translated into a specific cosmetic application, bringing together innovative raw material processing and targeted formulation performance.

 

Recognition for years of research and collaboration

Receiving the Ingredient Innovation of the Year award is an important acknowledgement of the research and development behind HAIRFORSENSE.

The development of functional biopolymers requires expertise across material science, process development and cosmetic formulation.

The award reflects the value of this multidisciplinary work and the contributions of the team, partners and collaborators involved in bringing the innovation forward.

 

Looking towards the next generation of cosmetics

As the cosmetics industry continues to explore alternatives to fossil-based ingredients, the demand for renewable materials with reliable functionality is expected to remain an important driver of innovation.

For CH-Bioforce, the award strengthens the international recognition of its technology and supports continued collaboration with cosmetic formulators and industry partners.

HAIRFORSENSE provides an example of how research into renewable biomass can lead to practical ingredient solutions for modern cosmetic applications.

 

 

Interested in exploring HAIRFORSENSE for your next formulation?

Learn more about HAIRFORSENSE Technology or contact the CH-Bioforce team to discuss potential applications and collaboration opportunities.