Acquisitions, Awards and More Beauty Ingredient News and Launches for Early January 2013

Acquisitions

Croda acquired the assets of Innovachem, LLC. This acquisition adds Innovachem’s patented product portfolio to Croda’s range of ingredients for the beauty industry. The acquisition adds two new product lines to the Croda portfolio: the Panthequat conditioner and the LiquiWax range of cosmetic esters. As a quaternized panthenol, Panthequat conditioner offers the benefits of panthenol—shiny, manageable hair and smooth, soft, moisturized skin—along with the substantivity imparted by a long-chain quaternary. The LiquiWax enable Croda to offer an even larger portfolio of multifunctional emollient esters with enhanced skin conditioning functionality, including softening and lubrication, as well as improved barrier function for moisturization benefits. The acquisition was finalized on December 20, 2012. During the first half of 2013, Croda will transition the products offered by Innovachem, and formerly sold through third party distribution, into its portfolio.

Clariant signed an agreement to acquire CRM International SAS, a French manufacturer of natural ingredients for the beauty industry. The acquisition strengthens Clariant’s industrial and consumer specialties business unit (ICS), which aims to accelerate sustainable, high-performance solutions. CRM (Cosmetic Raw Materials) is a privately held company providing naturally derived ingredients based on olive oil. The product portfolio contains emollients, active ingredients, butters and natural alternatives to silicones.

Pilot Chemical Company acquired Mason Chemical Company, which is a leader in the development, registration and sale of quaternary ammonium compounds and related chemistry. The acquisition enhances Pilot Chemical's household, industrial and institutional, beauty and oil and gas product portfolios, strengthening its offering by adding registered and non-registered biocidal quats and tertiary amine derivatives.

Air Liquide acquired BiotechMarine through its subsidiary Seppic. BiotechMarine designs and markets active ingredients for the cosmetics and beauty industry. The acquisition will provide Seppic, a subsidiary in Air Liquide's Healthcare Business Line, with complementary expertise in marine biotechnologies and plant cell culture.

Solvay acquired Sunshield Chemicals Ltd., an Indian surfactants producer. The acquisition, which is still subject to regulatory requirements, enables Solvay's Novecare business to accelerate its development in India for the home and personal care, agrochemicals, coatings and industrial markets.

MidOcean Partners, a private equity firm, acquired a majority equity position in Agilex Flavors & Fragrances, the middle market creator and manufacturer of fragrances for use in consumer products. Agilex was previously owned by Nautic Partners.

News

Coptis introduced a new regulatory web portal to help speed up the availability of regulatory information available via its Coptis Lab software system. With this new portal, Coptis Lab users will have access to regulatory information in real time as changes in the beauty industry are happening.

Noting it as a site important to international standards for innovation, sustainability and competitiveness, Clariant inaugurated a new production site for its industrial and consumer specialties business unit (ICS), at the city of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Representing an investment of more than $20 million and an extension of four hectares, the new site will produce several chemical specialties and technological solutions for different markets, including personal care, crop protection, metalworking, construction and painting.

Biosil Technologies Inc. appointed HSH Chemie GmbH as the distributor of its specialty silicone complexes in Eastern Europe.

Univar was recognized by the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO), which awarded Univar a distinction for high standards of health and safety at its 21st Annual Occupational Safety Awards 2012.

The New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) honored scientists from Evonik’s Personal Care Business Line with the Shaw Mudge Award for best paper presented at SCC‘s annual scientific meeting and technology showcase. Titled “Understanding the Influence of Emulsifiers, Emollients and Additives on Lamellar Phases in Cosmetic Emulsions,” the paper was mainly authored by Juergen Meyer, PhD, of Evonik Industries. Co-authors were Verena Dahl, PhD, and Joachim Venzmer, PhD, as well as Brajesh Jha, PhD, also working for Evonik Industries. The publication is scheduled to be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Cosmetic Science.

Alban Muller earned its fourth Cosmetic Valley peony, awarding the excellence level in the Cosmetic Valley’s eco-responsibility charter. The award is a recognition of Alban Muller’s actions implemented at each step of its process, which it touts as “from eco-design to eco-responsibility.”

UL announced the move of its Enfield, Connecticut-based consumer products testing laboratory to a new, state-of-the-art 48,000-square-foot facility in Enfield, more than doubling its capacity and capabilities for quality and safety assurance testing. The relocation will enable UL to more efficiently meet the growing demand for the company’s analytical, physical, performance and compliance testing of consumer products for retailers and manufacturers doing business in the U.S. The new facility is located at 1559 King Street, Enfield, CT, 06082.

People News

Vantage Specialty Chemicals appointed Conrad Kempinska as the executive vice president of Vantage’s personal care business. In his new role, Kempinska will have overall global responsibility for the Lipo and Desert Whale branded personal care business, driving continued growth through new product development, geographic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

Univar appointed D. Beatty D’Alessandro as a new executive vice president and its CFO. D’Alessandro joins Univar after spending 29 years at Graybar, a distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services. There, he served as senior vice president and CFO as well as on the board. Earlier in his career at Graybar, he served as vice president and chief information officer, overseeing the successful deployment of an enterprise-wide SAP system.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC expanded its North America Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties (CAS) cosmetics team with the addition of Dana Smith as senior technical sales specialist for the Baycusan product line. Smith will manage Baycusan sales for cosmetics customers in the New York and New Jersey area. She has experience in the cosmetics and personal care industry, beginning her career as a development chemist for Revlon consumer products. Most recently, Smith was the commercial marketing manager for Lonza Personal Care, where she was responsible for managing the biotechnological product line.

Axel Schmidt, Wacker Chemical Corporation vice president, division silicones, North and Latin America, took full responsibility for the division’s operations effective January 1, 2013. He is succeeding Bernhard Hackl who is returning to Wacker Chemie AG in Munich, Germany. Schmidt will have full and direct responsibility for silicone division’s Adrian, Michigan-based operations, as well as plants located in Chino, California, and North Canton, Ohio.

New Launches

Evonik launched TegoSoft AC, a vegetable-based emollient with a light skin feel. Addressing the consumer trend of greater demand for natural based products and the development toward lighter textures in the skin care segment, TegoSoft AC imparts a light and non-oily skin feel, which is in contrast to many natural oils. Given that product developers working on certified natural cosmetics also need a certified emollient with a light skin feel, TegoSoft AC provides an excellent solution for a more pleasant overall skin feel of the final cosmetic product. The production process is based on Evonik’s unique, low-energy enzymatic technology, which reduces energy consumption and CO2 emission in comparison with the standard esterification process. As result, TegoSoft AC supports the market trend for sustainable formulations, and it is NaTrue and COSMOS certified.

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