The two companies will jointly work on research and development of active botanical ingredients formulated using the principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). These unique ingredients will primarily be used for producing topical products to improve and enhance skin and hair health, Givaudan has announced.

“TCM is well known in the West, but more applied to health and well-being,” Laurent Bourdeau, Head of Givaudan’s Active Beauty business, explains to NutritionInsight. “The direct translation of TCM in skin and hair care is still in its infancy in the West.”

“There is a long road ahead to bring the hundreds of years of traditional usage of plants in China and combine this exceptional heritage in final products that answer today's consumers' needs,” Bourdeau says of the Draco Natural Products partnership. “This is exactly what Givaudan Active Beauty intends to do through this collaboration.”

Innovative solutions
The new partnership with Draco is fully in line with Givaudan’s 2020 strategic goals and growing its Active Beauty business, the company notes. “We are always looking for innovative solutions and Draco brings to us an impressive expertise in effective naturally-derived products,” says Maurizio Volpi, President Fragrance Division at Givaudan.

“We will enhance these ingredients and make them ideal for our skin and hair care Active Beauty ingredients portfolio. We strongly believe it will respond to increasing consumer needs in products that contribute to their health and well-being,” Volpi adds.

Givaudan has two targets in mind, according to Bourdeau. The first is building on the existing knowledge of its partners and bringing direct solutions to its customers, in connection with its market research and consumer insights analysis.

“The second goal is to cross-fertilize know-how from TCM doctors and from our experts to explore new avenues for skin and hair care,” adds Bourdeau.

Promising partnership
Draco supplies botanical extract ingredients for nutritional supplements, functional foods, OTC and personal care. The company has developed a proprietary extraction process which allows the delivery of extracts that are distinctive, traceable and sustainable.

“We are very excited about this partnership,” says Jerry Wu, President and CEO of Draco. “Givaudan is a top-notch company with a long history of innovation, and our combined expertise will allow us to bring natural solutions for customers’ brands.”

Laurent Bourdeau, Head of Givaudan’s Active Beauty business, believes the partnership opens a new world of possibilities: “With this strategic partnership, we will introduce to the market unique products that have been designed using natural extracts, that follow the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, and that use all the knowledge of modern science.”

“Givaudan, as a global leader in fragrances and flavors, has a strong presence in China and in Asia in general,” Bourdeau tells NutritionInsight of the company’s plans for Asia. “This gives us a great access to market and to consumers in the region, and this will accelerate our development of active ingredients as, of course, we definitively want to strengthen our position in Asia for Active Beauty.”

This first collaboration is a perfect opportunity for Givaudan to move faster in this market, but also to bring its partner’s high level of expertise and knowledge to the personal care market, according to Bourdeau.

“The Asian market is undergoing an interesting evolution in terms of consumers’ behavior and needs, and we are already anticipating these moves,” he adds.

“We will definitively target anti-aging, whitening, soothing and moisturization at first glance, but TCM offers many more opportunities that we will bring soon to the market under the frame of highly active solutions,” Fabrice Lefevre, Active Beauty Innovation & Marketing Director, says of Givaudan and Draco’s future collaborations.

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