SILAB Invests in Powder Production

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SILAB has big plans for powders. The company has heavily invested in spray-drying to transform its actives into dry form, to market them without preservatives.

A world leader in engineering natural actives, SILAB has commissioned the build of a new powder production unit at its current site. The unit is 20 m (65 ft.) tall and covers more than 1,800 m² (19,000 sq. ft.); this includes a spray-drying tower, which was designed for an annual production capacity of 150 metric tons.

Commissioned in September 2019, the plant complies with pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). This guarantee, combined with highly innovative process engineering and packaging in controlled-atmosphere areas, enables the production of powders with stringent bacteriological standards.

Xavier Gaillard, deputy general manager for strategy at SILAB, stated: “We are proud of having carried out this major project that required an investment of €11 million and was supported by the European Union, the French government, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and the Corrèze departmental council."

He added, "Bringing this production technology in-house will allow us to offer our active ingredients in preservative-free powder form. This fits into a strategy of diversifying our cosmetics offerings (SILAB Cosmetics), while meeting the current expectations of medicalizing skin care (SILAB Softcare).”

The resulting powders offer multiple benefits. Being water-soluble, they are easy to formulate into cosmetics and dermocosmetics while also offering an extended shelf life. In addition, smaller doses of the powder are required, compared with liquid versions, due to the higher concentration of active molecules. Furthermore, the absence of preservatives diminishes the impact on health and natural ecosystems, which aligns with the company’s sustainable development policy.

For more information, contact SILAB.

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