Viridi's Vireya surfactant platform incorporates up to 33% captured CO2 and cuts product carbon footprint by as much as 70% versus conventional anionic surfactants, the UK clean-chemistry firm reported, with Zein-test data showing a tenfold improvement in mildness over sodium laureth sulfate (SLES).

The company is working with German specialty chemicals manufacturer Zschimmer & Schwarz under a joint development agreement aimed at scaling and commercialising CO2-based surfactants for personal care.

How does the CO2 enter the surfactant?

CO2 is a thermodynamically stable molecule and does not react readily with the building blocks needed to make surfactants. Viridi's response is a proprietary solid catalyst that lowers the energy barrier for the reaction, allowing captured carbon to enter the molecular backbone of the anionic surfactant.

The catalyst operates at lower temperatures than incumbent catalysts used in similar processes, can be reused multiple times and contains no harmful ingredients. Viridi designed it to slot into existing surfactant production assets, a deliberate choice that keeps capital expenditure in line with conventional routes and avoids the stranding of installed plant. That design choice matters as much as the chemistry: lower process temperatures trim energy demand, while reusability keeps catalyst make-up cost in line with existing routes.

What performance data has Viridi published?

For formulators, a lower-carbon feedstock only matters if the finished molecule still passes the bench tests. Viridi's development programme screens every candidate for:

• Surface-tension reduction
• Foam generation, foam nature and foam stability
• Cleansing performance
• Mildness, assessed via the Zein test

The Zein test measures a surfactant's interaction with zein, a plant protein used as an analogue for skin keratin. Vireya scored up to a tenfold improvement versus SLES in that screen, a result that positions the platform for sulfate-free and baby-care-adjacent claims where irritation is the gating specification.

Cleansing and foaming performance, the two properties that most often push a formulator away from green alternatives, tracked the SLES benchmark in Viridi's testing, according to the company. That dual result — parity on foam, a tenfold gain on mildness — is the commercial proposition that lets a formulator keep a benchmark lather profile while cutting irritation scores.

Who is taking the technology to scale?

Viridi is running application testing and formulation optimisation with consumer brand owners, and has signed a joint development agreement with Zschimmer & Schwarz.

The German partner brings specialty-chemicals scale, formulation libraries and downstream personal-care customers. The JDA followed extensive trials that the partners say surfaced multiple potential applications and use cases, the clearest signal yet that CO2-derived anionic surfactants are moving from a one-off pilot into a development pipeline. A portfolio of grades looks more likely than a single replacement SKU.

What does this mean for procurement and R&D?

Three immediate readouts for industry buyers and formulators:

• A drop-in option. Catalyst compatibility with existing assets means CO2-derived surfactants can reach commercial volumes without greenfield investment, a key hurdle for any new surfactant class.
• A mildness upgrade. The 10x Zein-test result opens the door to leave-on-adjacent mildness from an anionic surfactant, potentially supporting sulfate-free claims built on a carbon-negative input rather than a bio-based one.
• A new supplier question. Procurement teams evaluating Zschimmer & Schwarz or Viridi will need to ask for full life-cycle data, not just feedstock percentages, before the 70% PCF claim can be written into a sustainability brief.

What's next?

Watch for Zschimmer & Schwarz's first commercial sample shipments, brand-owner pilot disclosures and any safety dossier filings that would let formulators quote the 70% footprint figure in finished-product claims. The next data point that will move the story from chemistry to commerce is a published commercial tonnage figure from the Zschimmer & Schwarz partnership.