Natural active ingredients are a fast growing segment worldwide

Building on the 2013 acquisition of BiotechMarine, a company based on France’s west coast and specializing in natural substances from marine resources for cosmetics manufacturers, the acquisition of Serdex adds new natural ingredients to Seppic’s portfolio, increasing its offer to meet the expectations of consumers for natural products.

According to Seppic, global sales of specialty active ingredients for cosmetics amount to over EUR 900 million, of which natural active ingredients are a fast growing segment.

From this point of view, Serdex had many assets to interest Seppic. Specialising in botanical active ingredients for dermo-cosmetics and skin treatment, Serdex achieved a turnover of EUR 8 million in 2015. With its 40 employees, based in Pau, South-West France, Serdex brings to Seppic its expertise in high purity extraction, in sourcing of exotic plants, and its knowledge of Malagasy plants notably.

Serdex brings to Seppic its expertise in high purity extraction, in sourcing of exotic plants, and its knowledge of Malagasy plants notably.

With this acquisition, Air Liquide strengthens its position in the market of active ingredients of natural origin, meeting the high and increasing demand of consumers for these ingredients. The complementarity of Serdex and Seppic allows us to widen our know-how to better serve our beauty care customers and continue the development of this eco-responsibly sourced active ingredients activity,” said François Jackow, member of the Air Liquide group’s Executive Committee, supervising the Healthcare activities.

Present in over 100 countries through its affiliates and network of distributors, Seppic employs 660 people aroundthe world, including 100 employees dedicated to innovation.