Black Soldier Fly Larvae Oil as a Novel Lipid Source for Eco-Friendly Hair Conditioner Formulations

Abstract

Given the growing scarcity of fossil-derived materials and potential deforestation caused by vegetable oil production, insects have emerged as sustainable lipid sources for cosmetics. Black soldier fly larvae oil (Hermetia illucens L.) stands out by offering environmental advantages through bioconversion of organic waste and clean extraction via supercritical carbon dioxide, a solvent and residue-free method. Thus, it represents a raw material aligned with circular economy and upcycling principles, with potential application in cosmetic formulations. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a hair conditioner containing black soldier fly larvae oil and evaluate its rheological behavior, texture profile, spreadability, and efficacy on standardized hair tresses. The developed formulations were characterized for their texture and spreadability profile and the rheological behavior of the formulations was evaluated for 60 days. The efficacy of the formulations was assessed in terms of combability, smoothness, and tensile strength. As a result, the formulations remained stable, presenting a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior, in which the addition of the oil led to an increase in texture and work of shear parameters. That indicates that the oil can act as a consistency agent due to the presence of long chain saturated fatty acids in its compositions. Efficacy tests indicated that the oil improved the tensile strength, combability, and smoothness of the hair strands due to its penetration into the hair cortex along with its deposition on the hair surface. In conclusion, black soldier fly larvae oil provides benefits to hair and demonstrates significant potential for application in sustainable hair care products.