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Desire for Performance Coupled With Natural Ingredients Boosts Botanical Actives Consumption in Personal Care

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 February 2009, 08:00 CST

-- The move from synthetic ingredients to more "natural" ingredients should be regarded as a driver for cosmetic and toiletry ingredients market. --

LITTLE FALLS, N.J., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Kline & Company's study Specialty Actives and Active Delivery Systems for Personal Care 2008: U.S. and Europe, botanicals consumption is growing at 8.0%, outstripping growth of other specialty actives with average growth of 5.4%. The increased use of botanicals is one of the major changes in the cosmetics and toiletries industry in recent history.

The market for specialty actives and delivery systems in North America and Europe is approximately USD 840 million, with specialty actives in the Europe market accounting for the lions' share of the market. Botanical actives are growing in share within the specialty actives segment in both the European and U.S. markets. "Labeled" actives are showing extremely quick growth, at up to 20% a year.

A variety of plant extracts have been known for many years to confer therapeutic effects on the skin, building grounds for further development. "Today's consumer wants not only natural products, but also performance," notes Nikola Matic, senior analyst, Chemicals and Material Industry at Kline. "These two requirements were regarded as contradictory a few years ago, but highly substantiated botanical products developed recently brought new solutions to formulators."

The use of botanicals in cosmetic and toiletry formulations is strengthened by the "natural" trend. The move from synthetic ingredients to more "natural" ingredients has increased and should now be regarded as an established growth driver, which has benefited botanicals above all. Nowadays, if a synthetic product and a botanical are offering the same functionality and efficiency, the botanical active will be the formulator's first choice.

Changing demographics, with an aging population in the United States and Europe, will also promote growth in botanical consumption in the anti-ageing segment. Botanical suppliers in order to compete with existing formulations are promoting their products as more effective at lower levels, when compared to for example vitamins, making the botanical actives comparable in price on a cost-performance basis.

To achieve a presence in the high-growth botanical actives market, several major chemical companies have made strategically important acquisitions. For example, Croda has acquired Sederma, and Cognis has acquired Laboratoires Serobiologiques. Other major botanical companies, such as Bio-Botanica, Gattefosse, Active Organics, and Alban Muller, are making moves from extracts into the actives market by developing substantiated active products.

Kline's Specialty Actives and Active Delivery Systems for Personal Care 2008: U.S. and Europe report provides a detailed analysis of the current and future business and competitive landscape for specialty actives and active delivery systems used in personal care products. It covers estimated consumption and sales by major supplier for vitamins, polysaccharides, botanicals, proteins and peptides, enzymes and coenzymes, and other types of active ingredients. It also explores active ingredient use by functionality, including anti-aging, anti-cellulite, and skin firming action, as well as the delivery systems and technology used to impart these benefits.

About Kline

Kline is a worldwide consulting and research firm dedicated to providing the kind of insight and knowledge that helps companies find a clear path to success. The firm has served the management consulting and market research needs of organizations in the chemicals, materials, energy, life sciences, and consumer products industries for 50 years. For more information, visit www.KlineGroup.com.

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SOURCE Kline & Company, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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