Heliae has partnered with Japan-based Sincere Corporation, a waste management and recycling company, to develop a commercial algae production facility in Saga City.
Fred Tennant, vice president of business development told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com that this expansion of algae production in Japan is another proof point that demand for natural personal care products are on the rise globally.
Astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant with broad health benefits to the growing health and wellness market is booming in Japan right now, which is being placed in a lot of overseas cosmetics.
"This isn’t a new ingredient to Japan, however there are very few facilities that make natural astaxanthin the way we do and this partnership also allows us to expand into market in a way we couldn’t on our own,” Tennant tells this publication.
"Japan is an extremely dynamic geography for natural health and beauty products, but to enter that market and set up a production facility without a local partner would be difficult," he adds.
What the new facility will mean for the global cosmetic market...
According to the vice president, the facility in Japan will be similar in terms of technology to the commercial facility Heliae has in the US; however, it will be on a smaller scale initially.
"From their algae technology platform, their experience at scale, and their extensive traction in multiple industries, we look forward to working with Heliae and bringing algae production to Japan," said Yukihiro Matsuzaka, President of Sincere Corporation.
Construction of the Saga City facility is planned to begin in 2015 and Alvita's astaxanthin product should be available on the market in Japan by 2016.