The CASE for Biosurfactants: Surpassing Regulatory Hurdles and Boosting Performance with Next-Gen Formulations

By Locus Ingredients

The CASE industry is navigating a landscape of increasingly strict regulations around product safety and environmental impact, while trying to maintain top-tier performance. Consumer and regulatory demands focus on removing hazardous substances like Proposition 65 chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and materials with high cytotoxicity or trace impurities. These standards are especially critical in paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants, where products frequently encounter 1,4-dioxane restrictions, require compliance with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and face mounting pressure for zero-VOC.

While many formulators are eager to adopt bio-based surfactants, there has been widespread concern over performance trade-offs. However, novel biosurfactants from Locus Ingredients set a new benchmark, addressing these concerns by combining sustainability with superior multifunctional capabilities.

Locus Biosurfactants: A High-Performance, Eco-Conscious Solution

Locus Ingredients’ line of biosurfactants go beyond conventional and other bio-based surfactants. Derived from proprietary fermentation technology, these glycolipid biosurfactants provide high performance without environmental compromise.

The ingredients are non-GMO, palm-oil free and have no Proposition 65 trace chemicals, 1,4-dioxane, ethylene oxide or VOCs – aligning with the latest safety standards and addressing traceability and responsible sourcing concerns.

Unlike conventional surfactants, Locus biosurfactants’ unique composition allows for lower usage rates while enhancing product performance across a wide range of applications. With properties including low cytotoxicity, broad pH compatibility and high thermal stability, they offer formulation flexibility that CASE scientists can trust.

Meeting Global Regulatory Standards with Compliance-Ready Ingredients

Locus Ingredients is known as a leader in providing biosurfactants that exceed the highest regulatory standards. Most notably, Locus is the first and only biosurfactant supplier with EPA approval for commercial-scale glycolipid production in the United States through its expanded TSCA registration. Locus also meets REACH requirements in the EU and UK, which assures international compatibility and market access for CASE manufacturers.

Other key regulatory credentials include:

• USDA BioPreferred Label: All of the biosurfactants have earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product label  for containing 100% biobased, renewable content
• Cleangredients Listing: The ingredients are approved by the EPA for use in SaferChoice products and safe for direct release into waterways

This comprehensive compliance framework positions Locus Ingredients as the most reliable biosurfactant supplier for CASE manufacturers, allowing formulators to focus on formulation without the distraction of regulatory constraints. With Locus’ glycolipids, formulators gain immediate access to 100% bio-based surfactants that are globally compliant, reducing time-to-market and accelerating product innovation.

Multifunctional Modes of Action that Elevate CASE Product Performance

What sets Locus Ingredients’ glycolipids apart in CASE formulations is their multifunctionality. Unlike traditional surfactants that require multiple additives to achieve various effects, Locus biosurfactants are designed to deliver superior performance across a wide range of functionalities. They provide CASE formulations with various modes of action that meet or exceed the performance of traditional surfactants.

These multifunctional properties enable formulators to achieve consistent, high-quality results while adhering to rigorous safety and environmental standards. Key functionalities include:

• Superior Surface Activity: These biosurfactants reduce surface tension, enabling better adhesion and substrate coverage. This is especially beneficial for coatings and primers that require optimal adhesion for durability and longevity.
• Emulsification and Pigment Wetting: Locus biosurfactants exhibit strong emulsifying properties that stabilize pigment dispersions. This helps achieve consistent color, gloss, and smooth application across different surfaces.
• Coalescing: Coalescent works by softening the latex particles, allowing them to fuse into a tough, continuous film. Replacing ester alcohols, esters, and glycol ethers, Locus biosurfactants perform as a VOC-free coalescing agent achieving great film formation.
• Substrate Wetting: The biosurfactants’ wetting capabilities ensure even distribution on substrates, providing superior adhesion and compatibility in various CASE products.
• Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties: For certain applications, Locus biosurfactants provide added value with their natural antimicrobial properties, contributing to product longevity and stability.
• Temperature and pH Stability: With broad pH and temperature stability, Locus biosurfactants maintain their functionality across a range of environmental conditions, making them ideal for diverse CASE applications.

Summary
In a preliminary pigment dispersant evaluation, the Locus biosurfactants demonstrated exceptional pigment wetting and stabilization properties. These factors are crucial for producing coatings with consistent color and gloss development, and maintaining performance and appearance of coatings over their lifecycle. Specifically, formulations incorporating Locus biosurfactants achieved:

• Enhanced Pigment Wetting: Locus biosurfactants lowered surface tension, facilitating better pigment distribution and resulting in smoother, more uniform coatings. This improvement is key to achieving optimal pigment wetting and dispersion—crucial in creating stable, vibrant colors and improved color acceptance.
• Improved Shelf Stability: In long-term stability tests, formulations with Locus biosurfactants displayed good settling resistance in storage, compared to traditional options that exhibited pigment settling.

An ideal dispersant contributes to optimizing the final formulation by enhancing key factors such as hiding power, physical properties, colorant acceptance, and resistance properties (e.g., scrub resistance). However, viscosity reduction serves as a basic indicator of the dispersant’s ability to help separate and stabilize particles.

Specialty Benefits in Paints, Coatings, Adhesives, and Sealants

Locus biosurfactants support formulators’ ability to meet performance standards across a range of CASE products.

In paint and coatings applications, these biosurfactants deliver benefits that enhance product quality and durability:

• Enhanced Stain, Scrub and Block Resistance: The robust nature of Locus biosurfactants helps coatings resist stains and scrubbing while maintaining aesthetic appeal.
• High Adhesion and Hardness: Locus biosurfactants improve the adhesion and hardness of coatings, resulting in more durable finishes that withstand daily wear.
• Better Recoatability: These biosurfactants enhance the coating’s ability to withstand multiple coats, supporting consistent application and product longevity.
• More Compatibility: The biosurfactants’ stability and low cytotoxicity make them compatible with paint systems, including latex.

In adhesives and sealants, Locus biosurfactants’ binding and sag control properties improve stability, adhesion and bonding strength across different substrates. Their compatibility with various polymers, in low- and high-pigment volume concentrations (PVC), makes them versatile for use in a wide array of industrial adhesives and sealants.

Locus biosurfactants maximize each of these performance areas—offering high-value flexibility in formulation while eliminating the need for multiple single-function ingredients. This consolidated, streamlined functionality not only enhances product quality but can reduce overall formulation costs, allowing formulators to boost efficiency without compromising on results.

Proven Success: Data-Driven Performance in CASE Applications

Locus Ingredients’ biosurfactants have been rigorously validated through lab studies and real-world industry applications. The proven results demonstrate quantifiable advantages in key performance areas that formulation scientists prioritize. They confirm the measurable impact of Locus biosurfactants in achieving superior dispersion, stabilization and durability, which are critical attributes in paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants.

Case Study: Superior Pigment Dispersion and Stability in Paints & Coatings
Two of Locus Ingredients’ biosurfactants, Amphi^® CL (lactonic sophorolipid) and Amphi^® CH (linear sophorolipid), were evaluated as a dispersant for TiO₂ (Kronos 2160) in a slurry formulation. The evaluation was conducted using varying levels of additive to identify the optimal usage rate.

In this study, these dispersants were found to contribute to reduced paste viscosity, grinding, particle sizes and improved particle size stability over time, particularly when subjected to heat-accelerated aging.

Results show that the linear sophorolipid outperformed the lactonic sophorolipid in regard to paste viscosity reduction. Optimal viscosity performance was shown at 4% addition level based on pigment weight in a particular formulation.

Real-World Application Success: Integration with Novel APEO-Free Acrylic Latex
Formulators at a leading supplier of high-performance binders have successfully integrated Locus Ingredients’ biosurfactants into their APEO-free product line. This integration not only meets stringent regulatory standards but also optimizes adhesion, gloss and hardness in CASE applications.

Specific benefits achieved include:

• Increased Adhesion and Durability: The combination of the APEO-free binders and Locus biosurfactants improves adhesion to various substrates. This feature is crucial for adhesives and sealants, ensuring long-term bonding strength and reliability across diverse CASE applications.
• Good Film Formation and Scrub Resistance: Locus’ biosurfactants enhance film formation, stain removal, scrub resistance and storage stability with pigment or TiO₂ slurry. They contribute to the high performance of latex coatings with versatile finishes suitable for a broad range of applications.
• Extended Flexibility Without Leaching: Locus biosurfactants enable the binders to maintain flexibility without surfactant leaching, even in high-humidity environments. This stability is essential for applications in primers, topcoats and finishes where leaching could compromise appearance and durability over time.

By delivering these quantifiable improvements, Locus biosurfactants empower formulation scientists to achieve a new level of efficiency and quality in their products, meeting both industry demands and the need for advanced performance standards in CASE formulations. With their advanced performance capabilities, these glycolipids surpass the limits of traditional surfactants, giving formulators a single, powerful ingredient that boosts value across numerous key areas.

The Case for Immediate Transition: Why Formulators Should Act Now

For CASE formulators, the shift to Locus biosurfactants is not a matter of if but when. Delayed adoption leaves products vulnerable to potential compliance issues and restricts access to a high-performance ingredient solution that meets modern market demands. Locus biosurfactants offer a way to stay ahead—delivering superior functionality, streamlined compliance and a clear path to sustainable, high-performance formulations.

By incorporating Locus biosurfactants, formulators can unlock competitive advantages and align with evolving consumer and regulatory expectations. Not only do these biosurfactants enhance product durability and aesthetic appeal, but they also offer compatibility with the next generation of eco-conscious product formulations.

Start Your Transition with Expert Support from Locus Ingredients
Locus Ingredients offers formulators a smooth pathway to transition with on-demand samples and technical experts dedicated to supporting CASE applications. The team understands the pressures and demands formulators face and help them incorporate biosurfactants effectively—ensuring seamless adaptation and optimal application performance.

Conclusion: Locus Biosurfactants—The Essential Solution for Next-Gen CASE Formulations

In today’s CASE industry, formulators need solutions that deliver on all fronts: performance, regulatory compliance and sustainability. Locus Ingredients’ biosurfactants offer an unmatched combination of multifunctional performance, regulatory readiness and sustainability. As the only U.S. manufacturer producing glycolipid biosurfactants at commercial scale with EPA, USDA, TSCA and REACH approvals, Locus Ingredients provides a reliable, compliance-focused foundation for future-ready formulations.

The time to act is now. Explore the power of biosurfactants that redefine CASE performance and meet the demands of a greener, high-performance future. Contact Locus Ingredients to access samples and experience firsthand how biosurfactants can optimize CASE formulations.