Unigen targets European cosmeceuticals market

Both the capital of Belgium and the seat of the EU Parliament, Brussels has a long history of supporting botanicals with nutritional functionality supported by science, says Unigen. The Korean-owned company has been accelerating its growth strategy by investing heavily in its human capital and launching ingredients in various channels. The company specializes in a wide range of nutraceutical, botanical and cosmeceutical ingredients that have until now been focused on the North American market. With its US base in Lacey, Washington, Unigen studies plant extracts at the gene level in order to gain an understanding as to how they affect gene expression. The company is dedicated to the discovery of botanically derived therapeutic compounds for use in nutraceutical, functional food, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical products. Currently the company has a portfolio of 18 products, five of which are targeted at the cosmeceutical and personal care segment. Those five products include Immuno-10, which is targeted at skin aging; Aloewhite, a skin whitener; Uniflavon, which targets skin health; Soliprin, which targets general skin care and Pervarin, which also targets the general anti-aging market. The initiative in Europe is part of the company's plan to export the fruits of this research and development. "This move is but the first step of a major initiative in Europe by Unigen,"​ said Unigen vice president of sales and marketing, Doug Lynch. "We are intent on replicating our successes that we have had in Asia and North America." ​​Accordingly, the company has been setting the foundations by going through the lengthy novel foods regulatory process in Europe. The company said it will target Europe because of its large population and unified regulations under the European Union. "Unigen is committed to bringing patented, safe and efficacious ingredients, all discovered in natural products, to our strategic partners in Europe,"​ said Lynch. The company indicated to NutraIngredients-USA last year that it would be rolling out various new measures and announcements as part of its owner's 100-year business plan. The company's founder in Korea, Bill Lee, is behind the 100-year plan for the Econet companies of which Unigen forms a part.