If the U.S. government isn’t forcing brands to be sustainable like the EU does, why then is green chemistry growing so fast in the U.S.?
As discussed in previous articles, the European Union is actively legislating a circular economy. A prime example is EU REACH Regulation 2024/1328, which targets cyclic silicones–the main ingredient in liquid foundations, anti-frizz hair serums, and weightless leave-in conditioners. The looming June 2027 deadline has Big Beauty frantically investing in innovative biotech. The goal is to find green replacements for ingredients like D5 (cyclopentasiloxane) and D6 (cyclohexasiloxane), which face a complete restriction in leave-on products by the 2027 deadline.
While the U.S. government is not restricting these silicones, American green chemistry and biotech is working to meet this massive shift in global demand as the shift away from petrochemicals accelerates.
The American Carrot vs The EU Stick
Instead of passing sweeping bans that punish blending factories in the U.S. (noting that the actual manufacturing of petrochemical derivatives like D5 and D6 takes place in China, the Asia-Pacific region, and the U.S.), the U.S. government is giving millions to green chemistry labs–such as P2 Science, to work on replacements. By using robotics and AI to turn abundant American forestry waste (like pine tree resin) and citrus peels into sustainable bio-fluids, they are creating raw materials that can be manufactured in the U.S. This strategy may also ensure that sustainable alternatives eventually become cheaper and more effective than traditional silicones.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) classifies cyclic silicones as “very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), which means the environmental risk is 100% legitimate. D4, D5, and D6 do not dissolve in water, so when millions of people rinse off these products, the silicones enter municipal water filtration plants and build up in the tissues of fish and marine life, moving up the food chain disrupting ecosystems.
There is also a legitimate health concern regarding D5: inhalation. If D5 is in an aerosol spray–like aerosol dry shampoo, for example–and it is breathed into the lungs it can cause lung tissue irritation and respiratory issues. D4 (cyclotetrasiloxane), however, was banned years ago because it was linked to reproductive hormone disruption in animal tests. According to various global safety boards, topically applying D5 and D6 to hair and skin is completely safe. The molecules are too large to be absorbed and evaporate away. But the environmental threat is real.
While the EU mandates supply chains to evolve, it also offers initiatives such as the EU Biotech Act. In partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB), a fund that provides low-interest loans and other incentives. In addition, the 2026 updated Strategy for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy, the EU is setting aside hundreds of millions of euros to advance biomass and precision fermentation. European government agencies are legally required to buy bio-manufactured and circular goods over traditional petrochemical options, which guarantees a market for biotech labs.
In Europe, the law is driving the timeline. In the United States, the momentum is bottom-up and commercial. Ultimately, it seems Europe is setting the global pace for sustainability, leaving American brands, retailers, and labs rushing to innovate to keep their products competitive on the world stage.