Natural ingredients focus: Newly launched ingredients and latest M&A

Latest additions to the increasingly exotic selection of natural ingredients available on the market have included Amazon-sourced Andiroba oil, cocoa oil and tomato seed oil, while natural ingredients player has expanded its footprint into jojoba extracts with the acquisition of the Desert Whale company.

Andiroba oil targeting dry skin conditions​

Connecticut-based Natural Sourcing has launched Andiroba oil, an extract of the Andiroba nut that contains active properties that make it suitable for a range of dry skin conditions.

On top of this, Natural Sourcing is also marketing the product as helping to soothe aches and pains, together with being a natural insect repellent.

Although Andiroba oil has been used by generations of people in the Amazonian region, its inclusion in the formulation of conventional personal care products for the mass market has been limited until now.

Andiroba oil is extracted mainly from the nut of the Andiroba tree, but also from the bark and leaves. It grows up to 30 metres in height, is a part of the mahogany tree family and is found throughout the tropical regions of South America, mostly in the Amazon basin.

Natural Sourcing says it Andiroba oil has been sourced in Brazil, where it undergoes a minimally invasive and eco-friendly cold press extraction process that gives it a shelf life of 1 year.

Cocoa oil with hair and skin care applications​

Natural ingredients player Artiste has launched an all-natural cocoa oil with specific applications for both natural-based hair care and skin care formulations, with a specific focus on the anti-aging category.

Cocoa oil has been widely used in the food industry and has been a popular ingredient in hair care products due to its moisturizing properties, but the company is also hoping to widen the scope for the ingredient towards skin care formulators with the launch of this oil.

“When used for cosmetics, it is ideal in applications for skin rejuvenation, hair treatment, anti-bacterial products, soaps, lip gloss, face masks, body care products, etc,”​ said Joe Raimondo, Artiste president and principal in an interview with Cosmetics Design. 

Cocoa oil has also been widely used in a long list of cosmetic and personal care products as a fragrance, known for fresh, rich notes that are invariably associated with tropical climates, while also having specific olfactory senses.

Tomato seed oil with anti-oxidant properties​

Botanic Innovation has launched its Tomato Seed Oil for the cosmetics and personal care market, targeting its rich antioxidant properties at a wide range of skin and hair care products.

The company says it has developed the oil to have a bright reddish orange color, but more importantly it is a rich source of carotenoids antioxidants,  which include lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Likewise, it is also a significant source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and dissolved minerals, while the lipid antioxidants include a range of different forms of vitamin E.

These properties help give the oil a range of functional properties, that serve to protect and maintain the cell structure of both skin and hair, qualities that are particularly heightened by the fact that both the carotenoid and vitamin E antioxidants have been clinically proven to serve as part of the fight against oxidative stress, particularly in skin.

Vantage acquires Desert Whale Jojoba​

Specialty chemicals player Vantage has purchased Desert Whale Jojoba, serving to expand its existing portfolio of personal care products marketed under the Lipo brand.

Desert Whale is a producer and processor of jojoba and jojoba-based derivatives, which includes a range of oils and specialty ingredients that are used in a wide range of mainly natural-based cosmetics products.

The acquisition strengthens the Vantage’s offerings in the natural, Ecocert and organic categories for hair and skin care products, as well as color cosmetics.

Currently Vantage's range of personal care products are marketed under the Lipo name, following its acquisition of the New Jersey-based Lipo business in 2010.