And to help the company move forward in this endeavour, the Essen-based company has acquired French start-up Alkion Biopharma SAS. The start-up, which is based in Evry, specialises in the creation of biotechnological active ingredients from plant biomass to be used in cosmetics. Alkion Biopharma was founded as a spin-off from the Imperial College in London in 2011. The company has developed methods for cultivating plant biomass under laboratory conditions and obtaining extracts from the biomass with an exceptionally high yield of complex ingredients. The entire process takes place without altering the plant genome.

Reinforcing the power of nature

"We are simply reinforcing the strength of nature. This results in unique, innovative cosmetic actives," said Dr Franck Michoux, founder and CEO of Alkion. He believes the affiliation with Evonik will provide outstanding opportunities for successful marketing of this technology. The purchase price of the deal has not been disclosed. By purchasing Alkion, Evonik expands its portfolio in the Personal Care Business Line in the area of active ingredients. "Thanks to its formulation and application expertise, Evonik enjoys an excellent reputation in the cosmetics industry. We are resolutely continuing along this path with the acquisition of Alkion," said Dr Tammo Boinowitz, head of the Personal Care Business Line at Evonik.

Tailor-made active ingredients from plant biomass

By taking over the French biotech company, Evonik is strengthening its portfolio of speciality active ingredients. “This allows us to offer customers product concepts to set themselves apart from competitors,” said Boinowitz. Evonik is now able to offer its customers highly effective customised plant-based active ingredients that live up to their product claims.

Three years ago, Evonik turned its business towards sustainability. Just recently, the Essen-based company bought Norwegian biotech company Medpalett AS. Medpalett’s most important product is anthocyanin containing berry extract, which the Norwegian company has produced from Scandanvian blueberries and blackcurrants from New Zealand since 2000, and sells under the name Medox as a dietary supplement in Scandinavia. The speciality company also uses sustainable production methods in the field of feed production. Furthermore, Evonik is developing a process for the chemical industry to recover important but oil-based polymer components from the renewable resourse palm kernel oil.

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