Evonik Opens Plant-Based Active Ingredients Site in France

Evonik Industries has opened a new site for its Evonik Advanced Botanicals subsidiary in Tours (France). Now part of the personal care business line, the new subsidiary was created in 2016 when Evonik acquired experts in biotechnological production of plant-based active ingredients, French start-up, Alkion Biopharma SAS.

As a result, Evonik now claims one of the world's leading technologies for plant-based cosmetic active ingredients. 

At the opening ceremony, Evonik announced its plans to develop the site into a centre for plant-based active ingredients. The Tours region is located in what’s known as ‘Cosmetic Valley’, the world’s largest cluster of cosmetic companies.

This closeness to customers along with the possibilities for scientific collaboration with the University of Tours with its plant biotechnology department will help to promote future growth. 

The new site in Tours is designed to produce commercial quantities of these plant extracts, and many customer projects for tailored products are already at an advanced stage. Evonik also plans to offer its own products developed and created at its new facility in Tours from 2018.

Evonik Advanced Botanicals has developed a process for cultivating plant biomass under laboratory conditions and recovering beneficial extracts achieving an extraordinarily high yield of complex ingredients. The technology itself is based on the plants’ ability to produce a broad spectrum of secondary metabolites when required. Evonik hopes to utilize this potential without modifying the plant genome. This makes it possible to produce plant extracts with a high concentration of the desired bioactive substances, allowing Evonik to offer its customers considerable added value. 

“With this addition, Evonik can offer customers tailored, plant-based, high-performance active ingredients – in highly concentrated and reproducible forms, all manufactured in a process that conserves resources,” said Dr Tammo Boinowitz, head of Evonik’s personal care business Line.