Innospec eyes further expansion for Finsolv
is expecting further growth for its Finsolv benzoate ester
emollients in Europe following production start up at its facility
in Northern England.
The company's Active Chemicals division began manufacturing Finsolv at a brand new manufacturing facility at its site in Ellesmere Port in August last year in response to increased demand for the ingredient in Europe. Increased European demand Production of Finsolv had previously been concentrated at the company's site in North Carolina, US, but demand from European formulators meant that there was a case for expanding production, in turn making its operations more global. "The opening of our new plant is a key step forward towards our objective of making Active Chemicals a truly global business, thereby reinforcing our status as a world-leading specialty chemicals company," said Paul Jennings, Innospec CEO. The company also wanted to show more commitment to its customer base in both the UK and Europe, while maintaining production at the North American facility. "From a logistical point of view it does not make sense to ship ingredients all over the world, so this initiative will also serve to help make our operations more efficient," said Samantha Gardner, marketing manager at Innospec's Active Chemicals division, speaking at the In-Cosmetics show, held in Amsterdam this week. Higher production "Since last summer we have already built production up to 70 per cent of the full capacity," said Gardner. "Although we have designed the new facility to cope with a whole range of esters we anticipate still further expansion for production of Finsolv in the UK." Amy Maceod, Innospec sales support chemist, explained how the ingredient's formulation flexibility is helping to drive demand in Europe. "Primarily the ingredient is used as an emollient in a complete spectrum of sunscreen products, but now, thanks to its moisturising qualities and its lack of greasiness, it is being increasingly incorporated into both deodorants and a range of moisturisers," said Macleod. The company also chose the In-Cosmetics show as a platform to highlight its new product locator guide, which draws on the industry trend whereby ingredients suppliers are providing more information and support for formulators. "We can provide direct help for formulators through this resource, helping to guide them through specific problems or questions they might have in relation to formulating any of the more than 100 products that we carry in our active chemicals portfolio," said Macleod.
