Turkey ends animal testing for cosmetics
Turkey has joined the ranks of the European Union, Isreal, Norway and India by introducing a ban on the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals, according to The Daily Sabah. The country’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Administration has added an...
BASF ‘milks’ Plant Advanced Technologies for defence biomolecules to boost 2015 sales
A French start-up is attracting high-profile clients such as BASF and Chanel thanks to a patented technique it is using to ‘milk’ biomolecules from plants. Plant Advanced Technologies specialises in the production of defence biomolecules, which are produced when...
Givaudan goes small to grow big; world’s biggest fragrance manufacturer targets new regional customers
The world’s biggest flavors and fragrances manufacturer is hoping to secure business from smaller, regional customers to mitigate a slowdown in demand from the FMCG giants, according to a report published by Reuters. “Going forward, it’s really about continuing to...
High valuations encouraging companies to sell up in heated flavours and fragrance market
Companies are being encouraged to sell their businesses thanks to high valuations, said Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan, the world’s largest flavours and fragrance company, in a recent interview. The comments follow a host of high valuations as companies ramp up their...
Croda puts sales and profit boost down to increased demand for anti-ageing skin care products
Yorkshire-based natural chemicals firm Croda International has reported record sales of new products, thanks in part to global demand for anti-wrinkle creams. Strong innovation has contributed to a 20% year on year increase of new patented products, to a record 26% of...
PZ Cussons reports drop in profits as it pays Greek suppliers in cash amid economic crisis
As the economic crisis takes hold PZ Cussons has reported it is paying suppliers in cash and receiving cash payments from supermarkets and small grocery chains. Sales have reported to have dropped to £50m during the year. However, owner of brands such as St Tropez and...
Coty wins victory against counterfeiters as ECJ declares IP Rights Enforcement Directive trumps national banking secrecy rules
In a move that will be cheered by beauty companies struggling against counterfeiters, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that brand owners seeking to discover the source of counterfeit products cannot be refused access to information ‘in an unlimited and...
Givaudan shares jump 5.8 percent as company reports surprise 11.2 percent increase in 1H net profit
Givaudan’s cost-cutting efforts have clearly paid off as the flavors and fragrance producer announced an 11.2 percent increase in net profit for the first half of 2015. Net profit for the six months to June 30 rose from CHF305 million in 2014 to CHF339 million this...
M&H Plastics to close newly-acquired Depiction’s Market Drayton site; 40 jobs at risk
Following its acquisition of Shropshire-based plastic tubes and caps firm Depiction, M&H Plastics (RPC Group) has announced its intention to move production to Suffolk, putting 40 jobs at risk, according to a report in the Shropshire Star. Family-owned Depiction...
Efforts to tackle global deforestation risk being side lined, says Unilever Chief Executive
Unilever Chief Executive Paul Polman has warned that a more ambitious approach to funding forest protection is needed, or risk the project being sidelined at the upcoming Paris Climate Summit. The upcoming Summit will follow recent UN climate talks in Bonn which saw...
Unilever on the hunt for new Chairman
Unilever is looking to appoint a new Chairman to replace Michael Treschow, according to a Sky News report. The company is yet to confirm whether it is looking beyond its pool of non-executive directors, but is said to have hired head-hunting firm Russell Reynolds...
GEKA appoints former OEKA owner CEO of newly formed OEKA Tech Automotive
As part of its acquisition of OEKA Oehlhorn GMBH, GEKA Group has transferred the activities of former OEKA division OEKA TECH to a new company, to be known as OEKA Tech Automotive. Former owner and CEO of OEKA Oehlhorn, Gerald Oehlhorn has been appointed CEO of the...
EU safety watchdog: the concentration limit for methylisothiazolinone in cosmetic products should be lowered to 15ppm
The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has advised that the concentration limit for the use of preservative methylisothiazolinone (MIT) in cosmetic products should be lowered. The EU currently permits MIT in a concentration of up to...
P&G chief Irwin Lee to join Morrisons as Non-Executive Director
Vice President and Managing Director for Proctor & Gamble Northern Europe, Irwin Lee, is set to join Wm Morrison Supermarkets as a Non-Executive Director in September. Lee, who is due to retire from the FMCG giant on August 30, is said to be looking forward to...
BASF signs R&D agreement with Poietis for 3D bioprinting technology
German speciality chemicals supplier BASF has signed a research and development agreement with French firm Poietis, the first company in the world for 3D laser-assisted bioprinting, to apply the ground-breaking technology to BASF’s proprietary skin equivalent model...
Feeling blue: Beiersdorf defends Nivea’s trademark color in Unilever retrial
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has ordered a new hearing in the long-running battle between Unilever and Beiersdorf over a national trademark the latter owns for the shade of blue that forms part of its Nivea branding. The German company will be able to defend its...
Avon sells Liz Earle skincare brand to Walgreens Boots Alliance for £140m
Avon Products has sold natural skincare brand Liz Earle to Walgreens Boots Alliance for £140m. Having acquired Liz Earle in March 2010, Avon has managed the brand as a standalone business, separating it from the company's core direct-selling operations. The...
German chemical company Merck aquires Isreali quantum materials firm Qlight Nanotech
Known for its high tech healthcare products, German chemical company Merck has revealed that it is due acquire a 100 percent controlling stake in Israel-based quantum materials company Qlight Nanotech. Merck plans to utilize Qlight Nanotech’s Jerusalem-based research...
Evonik acquires shares in burn treatment solution specialists JaNaCell
Speciality chemical company Evonik has acquired shares in German company JaNaCell, which specializes in producing burn treatment solutions containing active ingredient nanocellulose. The transaction was completed through Evonik’s venture capital arm; the exact volume...
Unilever snaps up Murad skin care for growing prestige portfolio
Unilever’s mission to become a key player in the prestige sector continues. The Dutch manufacturer announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire leading clinical skin care brand Murad on Thursday. The LA-based doctor line will join REN, Kate Somerville and...
Flavours and ingredients company Frutarom acquires flavors Foote & Jenks for US$4m
Israel-based flavors ingredients company Frutarom has completed its acquisition of US-based flavors extracts company Foote & Jenks for approximately US$4 million. The acquisition is part of an ambitious expansion plan for Frutarom and is the eighth that the...
EU maximum concentration limit for leave-on cosmetics ingredient o-phenylphenol may be reduced
The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has proposed a reduction to the maximum concentration limit that applies to leave-on cosmetic product o-phenylphenol. Under current EU cosmetics regulations, the ingredient features in cosmetics at a...
Unilever seeks consumer views on its sustainability goals
Unilever is seeking to gain the views of consumers on issues such as climate change, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition through a new crowdsourcing initiative. The consumer goods company is launching a crowdsourcing platfrom in order to develop its sustainability...
L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, Olay, Revlon, Clarins and other leading brands are still testing products on animals, PETA claims
Leading cosmetics brands such as L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, Olay, Revlon and Clarins are exploiting a loophole in the law in order to continue testing their products on animals, according to animal rights organisation PETA. While cosmetics sold in the EU, where animal...
European Chemicals Agency bans anti-microbial pesticide triclosan; US pressure group calls for FDA to follow suit
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has ruled that the anti-bacterial pesticide triclosan is toxic and bio-accumulative and will therefore be phased out for hygienic use in favour of more suitable alternatives. The pesticide is commonly used in personal care products...
Evonik terminates COO’s contract; Kaufmann to take up role on July 1
The supervisory board of Evonik Industries has resolved unanimously to end the term of office of Executive Board and Chief Operating Officer Patrik Wohlhauser, effective as of June 30, 2015. Dr Ralph Sven Kaufmann will take up the COO position as of July 1. Dr Werner...
Unilever beefs up prestige portfolio with acquisition of professional skin care brand Dermalogica
Unilever has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Los Angeles-based professional skin care brand Dermalogica for an undisclosed sum. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. The deal is Unilever Prestige division’s third acquisition in as...
Cosmetics Europe General Assembly: Resilient European market shows signs of recovery, posted 0.5 percent growth in 2014
Figures released at the Cosmetics Europe General Assembly during the second annual Cosmetics Europe Week last week suggest that the European cosmetics industry is showing signs of recovery in the face of a tough economic climate. The retail market reached a value of...
Price fixing scandal: P&G and L’Oréal among 17 firms fined a total of €174 million by Belgian competition authority
Some 17 supermarkets and suppliers have been found guilty of plotting to fix prices of personal care products between 2002 and 2007 by Belgium’s competition authority. The details of the settlement, released on Monday, reveal that L’Oréal, Proctor & Gamble...
Ileos to sell carton printing arm to MM Packaging for estimated €80 million
Austrian coated cartonboard firm Mayr-Melnhof Packaging (MM Packaging) has made an offer to acquire French packaging firm Illeos’ carton printing operations, Alliora and Packetis, for an estimated €80 million. The deal is subject to French regulatory approval. Illeos,...
Big cosmetics brands under fire as ‘banned’ methylisothiazolinone found in several products
Some of the beauty industry’s biggest names have come under attack for continuing to use a preservative thought to cause allergic reactions in eczema patients, just weeks before a Europe-wide ban comes into effect. Methylisothiazolinone (MI) can cause rashes and...
Evonik and Brenntag to cooperate on hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid
Specialty chemical manufacturer Evonik Industries has signed a cooperation deal with German distributor Brenntag to market its new hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid grades for the pharma and cosmetics markets across 25 European countries. The GMP-certified...
European Commission proposes new regulations affecting cosmetics ingredients
The European Commission has notified the World Trade Organisation of upcoming regulatory changes affecting key ingredients in cosmetics. The European Commission plans to authorize the use of potassium hydroxide for certain uses. Potassium hydroxide is used to control...
Reckitt Benckiser Group General Counsel Bill Mordan resigns for role at US pharmaceutical firm Shire
Reckitt Benckiser has revealed that Group General Counsel Bill Mordan is set to leave the consumer goods company to take up the role of General Counsel and Company Secretary at pharmaceutical giant Shire. Mordan joined the company in 2003, having spent six years...
Italian packaging machinery company Marchesini Group takes over Bologna branch of Multipack
Italian packaging machinery company Marchesini Group has taken over a branch of Bologna-based Multipack, which specializes in producing end-of-line packaging machinery for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. The two companies have been working together since...
Seven Scent’s Kate Williams elected President of British Perfume Society
The British Society of Perfumers (BSP) has appointed Kate Williams, creative perfumer at Seven Scent (part of the PZ Cussons group), as President. The former Vice President will take over from Peter Whipps, who will remain an active member of the Council, while...
Henkel CEO: ‘we don’t need acquisitions to reach our goals’
As negotiations for Proctor & Gamble’s beauty assets reached their final stages last week, Henkel was widely reported to be competing for the FMCG giant’s hair care business. However, CEO, Kaspar Rorsted has downplayed reports that the German personal care...
Natural ingredients manufacturer SILAB inaugurates €5m biotechnology production plant in France
Natural ingredients manufacturer SILAB has inaugurated a new €5m biotechnology production plant in the small village of Saint-Viance, central France. The 1,500 square meter plant will produce existing ingredients such as yeasts and micro-algae as well as new active...
UN publishes study urging consumers and manufacturers to stop using microbeads
The UN has released a study to coincide with World Oceans’ Day (June 8) which recommends a phase-out of microbeads in personal care and cosmetics products (PCCPs) and an eventual ban. The study, published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), is called ‘Plastics in...
UK plastic packaging firm RPC Group posts revenue and profit increase
UK-based plastic packaging firm RPC Group has posted increased profits and earnings during the last financial year thanks to acquisitions such as the buyout of Icelandic rival, Promens. The company revealed on Tuesday that it generated pre-tax profits of £67.1m during...
Small-sized cosmetics increasingly popular among French consumers
Small-sized cosmetics products are becoming increasingly popular among consumers in France, according to a new study by US market research firm, The NPD Group. The rising popularity of smaller-sized fragrance bottles, make-up kits and skin care products has been...
Is Croda up for sale? Rumors intensify as Finance Director buys 1,000 shares
Croda International’s Group Finance Director Jez Maiden, purchased 1,000 shares in the company in a transaction dated Monday, June 8, prompting analysts to question whether the ingredients supplier could be up for sale in the near future. The stock was purchased at an...
Norwegian government introduces anonymous reporting system for cosmetic reactions
In a bid to provide improve product safety, the Norwegian government has launched an anonymous online reporting system so consumers can log any adverse reactions they suffer at the hands of cosmetic and personal care products directly. Norway’s Public Health and Food...
Innospec agrees to divest Aroma Chemical business to Emerald Kalama for US$40.5 million
Innospec has announced its intention to sell its Aroma Chemical business unit, Innospec Widnes, to Emerald Kalama Chemical, a division of Emerald Performance Materials. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the unit is thought to be valued at US$40.5 million. The...
UK pharmacy chain Boots axes 700 jobs as focus shifts to digital
Walgreen Boots Alliance has announced its intention to make some 700 admin staff redundant as part of a restructure that will see resources diverted to higher-growth areas of the business. The US-owned pharmacy chain, regarded in the UK as a British high street...
Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2016 will focus on halal cosmetics
International beauty trade event Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna has announced that its 2016 edition will focus for the first time on halal cosmetics. The event, which is due to take place in Bologna from March 18 to 21, will host an exhibition area dedicated the topic...
CVC Capital Partners acquires perfume retailer Douglas
UK private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners has acquired Europe’s leading perfume retailer, Douglas. The deal, reportedly worth around €2.8bnn (US$3.1 bn), was finalized a few days after the German perfume company announced plans for an initial public offering....
Douglas gears up for IPO three years after buyout
German perfumery chain Douglas is planning a return to the stock market this year, after its acquisition by US buyout firm Advent International Corp in 2012. According to a statement released by the retailer, existing shares held by Advent and up to €70m in new stock...
Quadpack launches sustainable wood compact
Quadpack subsidiary Technotraf Wood Packaging has launched an environmentally friendly compact, crafted from PEFC-certified wood sourced from sustainable forests. Hewn from maple wood, the compact is said to exude feminine elegance. The company has used a new...
Scientists discover allergen properties of “hidden” ingredient in cosmetics
Linalyl acetate, a fragrance chemical that is one of the main constituents of the essential oil of lavender, has been found to cause allergic reactions in participants in a new study from the University of Gothenburg. The study is concerning as the ingredient is not...
LATEST NEWS
