Closing Comments: A Burning Desire to Know
Welcome to your new magazine” is the traditional way to open the first editorial of a new publication. Given the current economic climate, “Welcome: We’re not completely bonkers,” might be more appropriate. There are many reasons to introduce CPC Ingredients, but the simple truth is, the time couldn’t be better.
If that seems overly optimistic, consider that after one of the worst holiday seasons on record, the beauty products market has demonstrated signs of life. With the Dow Jones no longer spiraling downward, consumers have talked about visiting the cosmetics counter again. Now is the time to retool, rebrand, and reformulate.
At the same time, the nutrition industry is in a remarkable, possibly historic position. Consumers say that they are tired of fad diets. Health is in, and information along with it. What’s more, consumers appear willing to spend a little more to make sure they get the nutrients they need. For this reason, supplement use is up as well as interest in beauty from within.
Frankly, this is uncharted territory. In theory, everyone knows what better-for-you cosmeceuticals are. In practice, some ingredients are nearly impossible to replace. One of our all-time favorite natural product proponents, Gina Garrubbo, often describes her difficulties finding just the right natural ingredients for her Terralina line. So does Brandi Wallace, the entrepreneur whose daughters inspired her to launch the Blossom line of natural skin and hair care products. CPC Ingredients is for Gina and Brandi and anyone looking for new, often hard-to-find ideas and concepts.
CPC Ingredients is for anyone who sees the market’s potential. Times may be tough, but there is a natural movement under way in health channels that could be a game-changer. People want to lead healthier lives, and it’s only a matter of time until they apply the same standards to their beauty and personal care products as they do to their foods.
Suppliers recognize this trend. Givaudan recently unveiled details of its partnership with Agroforex to develop a sustainable supply of benzoin for the Innovative Naturals line. Villagers in the remote northern region of Laos extract benzoin as gum, or sticky yellow “tears,” by slashing Styrax tonkinensis trees with machetes. The practice shortened the life span of the short-lived trees and threatened not only the benzoin supply, but also the community’s livelihood. The partnership helped establish the long-term management of the mountain forest ecosystem. Teaching the villagers how to interplant Styrax tonkinensis trees with rice and red ginger not only helped ensure the benzoin supply, but also created income streams for the community.
As part of the program, Givaudan financed the construction of a secondary school at Aseuh in Phongsali province. The school, which has about 100 students, provides a secondary education for families that would otherwise move away. It could be argued that building a school to maintain a steady workforce is good business practice. But Givaudan also equipped the school, funded teachers for three years, and turned the school over to the local authorities. The program could have been accomplished at less expense, but the results, such as the discovery of new qualities of raw materials, including organic beeswax and organic red ginger oil, as well as other benzoin-based products, wouldn’t have been as definitive. Some of the ingredients are finding their way into new products, although the company cannot say which at this time.
CPC Ingredients seeks to bring these ingredient stories to life. Equally important, we seek to bring ingredient news to the people working on natural products through distribution in both Nutritional Outlook and CPC Packaging magazines. A newer, greener, more natural market is coming. We hope to help you be part of it.