LBB Specialties beauty ingredients business expands further with GREAF deal

08-Jul-2021 - Last updated on 08-Jul-2021 at 15:40 GMT

$© Getty Images \ (Betsie Van der Meer)$

This week, the private equity – owned cosmetics and personal care ingredient distribution company announced signing a strategic partnership deal with GREAF Biotech, an active ingredients manufacturer based in Shanghai, China.

“This collaboration is a significant move for GREAF to expand in the US market, and it is also a landmark for GREAF to be deeply involved in the international market,” says Yankie Yang, International Marketing Director of GREAF Biotech, in this week’s media release about the deal. And, he adds, “We're excited to continue building a strategic partnership with LBB Specialties, a fantastic company with significant market expertise.”

Growth strategy at LBB Specialties

As Cosmetics Design readers may recall, LBB Specialties restructured company leadership at the start of 2020 to better facilitate growth. At that time, Presidents from the ingredient distributors’ two subsidiaries—Charkit Chemical Company and America International Chemical (AIC)—took on enterprise-wide rolls as CEO and Executive VP of Strategic Business Development. “LBB Specialties’ growth strategy will enable AIC and Charkit to offer our customers and principals even stronger partnerships than we can today,” noted Charles Hinnant in his January 2020 remarks to the press. Hinnant, who founded Charkit, was at the time a member of the LBB Specialties Advisory Board.

Then, in January 2021, Cosmetics Design reported on the company’s acquisition of a majority stake in Custom Chemical Services (CCS). And about one month ago, LBB Specialties signed a deal with Caltron Clays.

LBB Specialties adds GREAF anti-aging and skin brightening ingredients to its portfolio

“GREAF has an excellent track record of delivering innovation, safety, and efficacy in advanced skin care,” says Darren J Birkelbach, CEO of LBB Specialties, explaining the company’s decision to work with GREAF Biotech.

“Their products,” he says, “will help us expand the breadth of LBBS' personal care portfolio by bringing innovative actives and trend-focused formulations to our consumer brand customers in the marketplace.”

The team at GREAF develops actives by working with Chinese herbal extracts and fermentative biotechnology. And this month’s beauty ingredient distribution deal with GREAF brings some 20+ new actives to the LBB Specialties portfolio.