Daan Thorn Leeson joins the Lonza Consumer Care team, with the company stating he will be responsible for the development of new products, and assist in building Lonza’s reputation as a solution provider for skin care.
He has a strong profile when it comes to skin care innovation, the company notes: Thorn Leeson has been named as inventor on three patents for skin care applications and has published 10 research studies.
In terms of background, the company’s new personal care head earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and was a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM (USA).
On taking up his new role, Thorn Leeson will be based in New Jersey, USA.
An emphasis on research
This is not the first time Lonza has shown itself keen to bolster its research profile this year: in March, the company announced the appointment of a new global head for its research and technology.
Jordan Petkov was appointed to its leadership team, taking on responsibility for its personal care and hygiene business in his role as global head of research and technology.
Petkov is based in Blackley, UK, and provides technical support for the company’s portfolio across hygiene, preservation, hair and skin care.
Lonza noted at the time its ambition to expand into new personal care segments, and noted that with a strong research and development presence across its three main sites in the UK and the US, it is develop as a global network.
What does Lonza’s personal care unit specialise in?
Part of Lonza’s Consumer Care business unit, the Personal Care business is a major supplier of active antidandruff agents, with the company stating that its Zinc Omadine® product is considered ‘the gold standard’ in the antidandruff shampoo market.
Lonza Personal Care also supplies a wide array of other hair- and skin-care products, including biotechnology-derived active ingredients, preservatives for use in certified natural and organic products, specialty esters and other functional ingredients.