The Switzerland-based botanical ingredients supplier has announced an agreement with Australian company Outback Spirit to provide fruit and plant extracts for the personal care market.
The move follows that of fragrance company Givaudan which has recently signed agreements with an Australian sandalwood producer and a Venezuelan tonka bean producer to ensure a sustainable source of the two ingredients.
Ingredients that will bring benefits to local people
The plant extracts that come under the brand Outback Spirit are supplied by and bring jobs and benefits to Australian Indigenous people in often economically disadvantaged regions of the country, according to Cosmetochem.
Furthermore, Outback Spirit is endorsed by Indigenous Australian Foods, an Aboriginal-owned and controlled entity, stated the company.
For Cosmetochem the partnership is an opportunity to offer consumers the 'newest cosmetic experience with the most ancient plants on the planet'.
Sustainable ingredients equal feel good products As the trend for natural active ingredients continues unabated the industry is responding to consumer concerns over environmental and fair trade issues.
Cosmetochem highlights the new consumer who realises that the 'feel-good factor' of a product can only exist if the environment and local people are not being exploited.
According to the company the Outback Spirit brand has all the right 'feel-good' elements and is highly saleable.
The benefits of offering customers sustainable ingredients have been noted by a number of ingredients suppliers and finished product manufacturers.
Juliette Crepin from Conservation International - the international charity that collaborates with both Givaudan and Athena on sustainable ingredients sourcing - calls it a win-win situation.
The company benefits as it gains a secure high quality ingredient source as well as profiting from the positive publicity associated with ethical and sustainable business practices, and the involvement of private companies can bring real economic benefits to the local communities, she explained.