TRENDING TECHNOLOGIES


Technological innovation in Indian sandalwood oil


Vanessa Ligovich - Quintis Sandalwood


Organisations that are actively engaging in building sustainable products and businesses will recognise the importance of technology. Reducing waste, improving production efficiencies and reducing energy consumption are just three possible outcomes of technology enhancements. The beauty and personal care industry in particular is well placed to benefit from such innovation especially when it comes to the sourcing and supply of sustainable ingredients and products. In its broadest sense, technology


is accumulating and using knowledge to make system, product, and skills improvements to solve problems. One of the beauty industry’s greatest challenges is meeting consumer demand for products that have had a positive – or at the very least neutral – impact on the world in their creation. More than ever, consumers are demanding that beauty brands act responsibly and consider local communities and the environment in the product development process. Today’s beauty buyer is savvy and educated


on what a sustainably produced product might look like, using guideposts such as environmentally friendly packaging, cruelty-free practices and ethically sourced ingredients to determine their purchasing decisions. They care about the world – and expect their favourite brands to care too – and they also care about what they are putting on their skin. Consumers are willing to delve right down to the ingredient level seeking natural, non-toxic, and responsibly grown ingredients that are safe and deliver results. Ingredient producers that are committed to


sustainable production can help brands create a compelling product that meets these consumer demands. Quintis Sandalwood is one such producer, offering the world’s largest supply of plantation-grown Indian sandalwood (Santalum album). The business was born over 20 years ago out of a desire to provide an ethical source of one of the most coveted ingredients in history. In decades past, wild Indian sandalwood has seen some troublesome times. It was listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List in 1998, after years of illegal trading and overharvesting of the species in its native environment. Recognising an opportunity to save a species, Quintis established the world’s largest Indian sandalwood plantation estate in the north of Australia - in the same equatorial zone as


www.personalcaremagazine.com Quintis understood that to meet the


growing demand for sandalwood oil in a more sustainable way and retain the purity of the raw ingredient, a change to antiquated distillation processes was needed and technology was the way forward. As a result, the company developed a ground-breaking, commercial Continuous Steam Distillation plant at the company’s 60,000 square metres distillation facility in Albany, Western Australia. The fully automated process was


inspired by continuous in-feed and out-feed systems commonly used in papermaking, and the benefits of this process have been remarkable as Quintis can now produce greater volumes of oil at


greater speeds. This new technology enables the business to produce four times more oil with the same volume of steam, reducing the company’s water and energy requirements by 75%. A-grade sandalwood oil now takes two


southern India thereby providing the ideal conditions for the species to flourish - planting the first trees in 1999 with seeds sourced from Mysore. Today, Quintis has over five million trees and


is the global leader in the supply of premium and sustainable Indian sandalwood raw materials to the fragrance, aromatherapy, and cosmetics industries. The global sandalwood oil market is projected to reach $196.7 million by 2026 and Quintis is well placed to meet this growth in demand. Beyond the foreseeable future, the business seeks to create a sustainable supply of Indian sandalwood that can be relied upon for decades, not just years. The three areas that Quintis has identified as focus areas for a sustainable business are: carbon, community and sustainable production. Technological innovation is what will drive


developments in these areas. Ongoing research into the benefits of this ingredient also has an important part to play as Quintis continues to make exciting new discoveries, particularly related to skin care.


How technological innovation has aided in demand and supply Oil distillation has been done the same way for 3,000 years. However, as market demand grows for certain highly volatile oils, more resources and energy are needed to produce them.


days to distil instead of nine days, reducing the company’s carbon footprint per kilogramme of oil produced. The reduced retention time has also improved the oil quality, with the shorter time in the cooling pot reducing the likelihood of off-notes developing, while highlighting the woody, creamy notes sandalwood oil is renowned for. Quintis had previously processed the oil in


batches using the traditional method of steam distillation, a process which was uneconomical for the larger volumes, and would increase its energy requirements and emissions as throughput increased. Steam distillation is the most popular method


to extract essential oils from plant and wood material and is carried out by passing pressurised steam through the plant/wood material forcing pockets of aromatic compounds to escape and evaporate into the steam. The steam condenses into a liquid consisting of essential oil and water. The oil floats to the top and is separated from the water. In the continuous steam distillation process,


a conveyor system transports chips into the top of the unit where the distillation process starts. The chips are continuously fed, enabling the technology to be 100% efficient with steam use due to the counter current flow of steam versus wood through the system. The continuous steam distillation production line, which was a partnership with the Western Australian government’s Value Add Investment


September 2022 PERSONAL CARE


95


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104