Clariant buys stake in Korean ingredients firm
The move sees Clariant take up the role of ‘anchor shareholder’ and exclusive global distributor for the Korean ingredients supplier, with the strategic partnership set to“combine Biospectrum’s research strengths with Clariant’s formulations expertise and global presence”, according to the companies.
BioSpectrum derives many of its specialty active ingredients from Asia’s native flora, making it a key player in both the rising global market of Korean beauty and that of naturals cosmetics.
Effective naturals
BioSpectrum has built a reputation in recent years for its expertise when it comes to testing the efficacy of its ingredients and being able to substantiate these claims.
“The company has strong scientific capabilities in bioassay, efficacy testing and claim substantiation,which allows the design and development of high-quality actives ingredients for the cosmetics industry,” Clariant explained in a statement on the deal.
BioSpectrum’s portfolio is especially impressive due to its focus on naturals, and the company states it boasts naturally-derived ingredients for widespread personal care applications: moisturising, whitening, anti-ageing, wound-healing, acne treatment, anti-inflammatory, anti-dandruff, detoxification and body slimming.
Family-owned, going global
Following the new partnership, BioSpectrum is angling for global growth via Clariant’s international marketing and innovation network, while Clariant has voiced its excitement about the expansion of its ingredients offering.
“Our investment in BioSpectrum will give us further access to highly innovative active ingredients based on renewable raw materials. This corresponds to a growing consumer demand for natural cosmetic ingredients, not only in the emerging markets of Asia but worldwide”, said Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant.
Christian Vang, head of business unit industrial & consumer specialities at Clariant, confirmed this, saying: “This strategic investment strengthens and significantly enlarges Clariant's active ingredient portfolio, reinforcing our ability to deliver a comprehensive range of natural, sustainable and effective formulations to the Personal Care industry."
Dr. Deok-Hoon Park, CEO of BioSpectrum, added: “This partnership with Clariant will be a key step in BioSpectrum’s growth. We will have a strong partner on-board supporting our fast and ambitious expansion plans and we foresee tremendous innovation synergies that will lead us to create more value for customers around the world."
