DSM Acquires Pentapharm

DSM Nutritional Products agreed to acquire Pentapharm last month. A purchase price was not disclosed. Pentapharm, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland with sales revenues around $55 million, employs people in Switzerland, Japan and Brazil.

Pentapharm holds a global position in the development and production of active ingredients and system solutions for the personal care industry.

According to DSM, Pentapharm’s patent-protected cosmetic active ingredients meet consumers’ increasing demand for effective anti-aging, self-tanning, body slimming and whitening products. Supported by the global wellness trend, such cosmetic active

ingredients benefit from growth rates within the personal care market.
Examples of Pentapharm’s personal care portfolio include: Erythrulose, a self-tanning agent; Vialox, an anti-wrinkle breakthrough and highly effective alternative to Botox injections based on synthetic pentapeptides and Alpaflor, a varied range of domestic plant extracts. Syn-ake, an anti-aging synthetic tripeptide which shows excellent anti-wrinkle activity, received the Swiss Technology Award in 2006.

“I am convinced that we have found in DSM a future-oriented and dynamic partner as the new owner who is committed to invest into the highly innovative Pentapharm and to sustain and even advance its success story,” said Caspar Stürm, co-owner and chief executive officer of Pentapharm.

“We are all excited about the acquisition of Pentapharm as it offers the desirable opportunity to harvest the synergy of all innovation-related
capabilities of both companies,” stated Ute Schick, the head of new business development of personal care at DSM.

More info: www.dsm.com.