INTERVIEW
of health science and technology. We look here at life span/health span to study longevity. With this research we want to identify new anti-ageing mechanisms and to find new molecules to interact with these biochemical pathways. This research can be applied for our cosmetic product lines as well as for our food supplement ingredients.
Moss.
PC: So, universities have been an important source for collaborations over the years? FZ: Yes, we have different co- operations with universities in different countries to get knowhow from different fields.
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PC: How are you looking to launch new ingredients in the current climate? FZ: Well, this has obviously proven to be a big problem. We launched a few products in 2020 during the pandemic but it was difficult to get a good attention. Our strategy is to launch a new ingredient at major exhibitions and to use the promotion tools offered at the shows. This was not possible last year. Instead, we tried to introduce our new ingredients to our distributors through webinars, and we also produced webinars
for our customers. However, sitting in front of a screen and talking to a camera makes it really difficult to get the story across. Furthermore, a lot of customers
have been hit very hard by the pandemic. This means that they had to shift priorities. So, yes, the current climate has made things somewhat more difficult.
PC: Beyond launches do you think the events of the past 12 months have hit the industry hard? FZ: I believe that the cosmetics industry is usually not hit so hard by economic crises, because people not only still buy shower gels and shampoos, but they also still buy lipsticks and fragrances, and maybe even expensive creams. So, I think the effect of the pandemic differs
quite a bit on the sales channel. Hence, if you are selling your products through a beauty salon that has had to close as a result of lockdown, this makes it very difficult to sell your goods. Or if you are selling via duty-free shops at the airport, you are going to encounter issues. If you have your social media community and you sell through online channels, I think you may even gain a lot of extra customers during that time. Thus, I think there have been big winners and also big losers.
PC: One thing that might change could be the level of scientific literacy among consumers who have been exposed to more study data than ever before. Do you think consumers are already becoming more scientifically literate? FZ: That’s absolutely true. I see a big difference in this regard between the average consumer today, as opposed to the average consumer from just 5 years ago. At the same time, we have to face the problem that there is a lot of information in the market which is not consistent and maybe not true. Consumers reach their conclusions based on these stories and make
their choice about products. So, I think there is a lot of
information around trying to influence the consumers to do one or the other thing, without ever really giving the full picture. That’s the part which annoys me!
PC: Finally, in terms of new technology, ways of extracting chemical compounds from nature, are there any areas that you’re finding particularly exciting at the moment? FZ: As mentioned before, we think that biotechnology has to offer a lot of opportunities to get novel ingredients in a sustainable and reproduceable way.
PC: How many ingredients have you already released into the market using biotechnology? FZ: Our most important product line of plant stem cells is based on our PhytoCellTec biotechnology where we have 7 different products in the market. The cultivation of moss tissue by MossCellTec is a new platform technology to launch new ingredients. Then we also cultivate snow algae and glacier bacteria to complete the biotechnology portfolio.
PC
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www.personalcaremagazine.com
March 2021 PERSONAL CARE
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