Lipids from Insects in Cosmetics and for Personal Care Products

Abstract

Insects, the most varied group of known organisms on Earth, are arousing great interest also for the possibility to use them as a feed and food source. The mass rearing of some species, defined as “bioconverters”, is spreading worldwide, thanks to their sustainability. At the end of the bioconversion process, breeders obtain eco-friendly biomolecules of high biological and economic value, including proteins and lipids, from larvae of bioconverter insects, in particular Hermetia illucens. Besides the most classical use of insect lipids as food additives, they are also used in the formulation of several products for personal care. The composition of insect lipids depends on the substrate on which the insects are reared but also on the insect species, so the cosmetic producers should consider these features to choose their insect starting point. The most abundant fatty acids detected in H. illucens are lauric, myristic, palmitic, and oleic acids, regardless of feed substrate; its fatty acids composition is favorable for soap composition, while their derivatives are used for detergent and shampoo. Here, we offer an overview of insect lipids, their extraction methods, and their application in cosmetics and personal care products.

Characterization of chitin and chitosan derived from Hermetia illucens, a further step in a circular economy process

“…These farms generate side streams consisting of chitin-rich biomasses that could be subsequently processed for the extraction of this polymer. Among insects, Hermetia illucens , the black soldier fly, is reared by about 80% of the European insect farms thanks to its excellent bioconversion ability 43 – 45 : larvae are able to feed on decaying organic substrates transforming them into a biomass of high biological value, composed of protein and lipid to use mainly in feed 46 , 47 , but also in energetic and cosmetic fields 48 , 49 , or to extract molecules of pharmacological interest 50 – 53 . H. illucens life cycle consists of five larval stages, followed by pre-pupal and pupal stages from which the adult fly emerges.…”

Characterization of lipid extracts from the Hermetia illucens larvae and their bioactivities for potential use as pharmaceutical and cosmetic ingredients

“…The use of BSF larvae as an ingredient for feed and food is already known. However, a significant part of the compounds that can be extracted from BSF larvae biomass has a high applicability potential in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sector [ 2 , 3 ], which is a promising market as mentioned above.…”

“…The lipid fraction of the BSF larvae biomass is characterized by the high concentration of saturated FA, mainly lauric acid [ 3 , 11 , 12 ]. Interestingly, its lauric acid content is similar to that of coconut oil, which seems to be beneficial to the skin mainly due to this FA [ 2 ].…”

Edible insects: Challenges and prospects

“…There are many publications on the production of biodiesel or transportation fuel from lipids from the black soldier fly reared on organic waste (Jung et al 2022;Park et al 2022). Franco et al (2022) describe the process to arrive at skincare products from purified fat from black soldier fly larvae which improve skin conditions such as smoothing, revitalizing, moisturizing, and tightening. Besides antimicrobial peptides can be extracted from black soldier fly larvae and added to the product for skin health.…”

“…Franco et al . (2022) describe the process to arrive at skincare products from purified fat from black soldier fly larvae which improve skin conditions such as smoothing, revitalizing, moisturizing, and tightening. Besides antimicrobial peptides can be extracted from black soldier fly larvae and added to the product for skin health.…”