At the upcoming Membrane Technology Forum, Shanti Bhushan, senior process development engineer at GEA Group, will present an educational session titled Membrane Purification Enables Clean Beauty Actives.

The session will examine how the global cosmetics market is shifting toward the use of natural bioactive ingredients as consumers grow more skeptical of traditional formulations and demand greater transparency and sustainability. Consumers are seeking clean labels while avoiding ingredients that could pose hidden risks, prioritizing both human health and environmental sustainability.

The topic showcases how advanced extraction technologies, particularly membrane filtration, are reshaping clean beauty, enabling recovery of premium bioactives from plant and animal materials and byproducts. These solvent-free processes preserve the integrity of delicate compounds while supporting circular economy initiatives.

The resulting high-purity ingredients are increasingly used in skincare applications including anti-aging, brightening and restorative formulations within the clean beauty market.

Bhushan says, "Today’s consumers want high performance clean beauty products made with natural ingredients like peptides, polyphenols, seaweed extracts, and botanicals from tea, coffee, blueberry, olive, and grape. These ingredients are valued because they support anti-aging, hydration, brightening, and skin repair, while also aligning with sustainability and wellness goals.

"In my presentation, I will show how membrane filtration is essential for extracting, clarifying, concentrating, and purifying these bioactives from plants, algae, seaweed, and upcycled waste streams such as fruit pomace, collagen from bones and skins, plant proteins, and herbal residues.

Shanti notes he will also discuss how membrane filtration supports production of natural ingestible ingredients, which can enhance skin benefits through the gut skin connection. "Beyond natural raw material extraction, membrane technology is also used to purify bioactives from cellular agriculture, such as lab grown collagen," he says. "By turning industrial byproducts and waste streams into premium ingredients for skincare, haircare, ingestibles, and pet care, these technologies support a circular economy and help power the clean beauty revolution across skincare, wellness, and beyond."

About Shanti Bhushan

Shanti Bhushan has over two decades of experience in research and development, scale-up and commercialization of membrane technologies while working in various application areas including dairy, food, beverage, chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical.

Courtesy of Shanti Bhushan

About the Membrane Technology Forum

The annual Membrane Technology Forum, hosted by Dairy Foods magazine and the American Dairy Products Institute, is the premier live event in the commercial membrane and membrane technology sector. This event covers key concepts and innovations for the sector, from the fundamentals of membrane technology, fouling and cleaning, to emerging technologies and applications with real world case studies that highlight challenges, proposed solutions and results. 

The Membrane Technology Forum serves processors, plant managers, engineers, chemists, equipment manufacturers, research and development, sales and marketing specialists, technicians and other industry professionals.

The program features a series of two dedicated educational tracks, each with short, informative technical sessions covering current topics and emerging trends. Attendees will gain fresh ideas, trusted data and proactive solutions to help their companies evolve with changing trends in membrane technology.

The Membrane Technology Forum also features a select group of innovative and forward-thinking suppliers on hand to demonstrate their new technologies and products designed to improve processing operations.

The 2026 Forum will take place June 15–17 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington – Minneapolis South in Minneapolis, Minn.

Learn more and register at dairyfoods.com/membrane-forum