International News

Ecolab Wins Best Corporate Citizen Honor in China

CHINA: Ecolab Inc. received the “Best Corporate Citizen for Driving Sustainability in China 2009-2010” award at the first China Sustainability Leaders Symposium held in Beijing, China.

The award and event were organized by the Economic Observer, a weekly Chinese newspaper. Ecolab was one of 21 global companies selected to receive the top sustainability award through a comprehensive selection process that included public online voting and expert committee assessments.

“Sustainability is core to Ecolab’s vision to make the world a cleaner, safer, healthier place, and is a cornerstone of how we do business,” commented Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab chairman, president and chief executive officer.

“As the world’s leading provider of cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention solutions, as well as a company with a strong commitment to sustainability, Ecolab is focused on not only improving internal operations but also on working with our customers to help them conserve resources and operate their businesses more efficiently. We have made substantial investments in research and development to deliver innovative solutions that minimize our customers’ water and energy use, increase safety and reduce waste, and at the same time deliver superior cleaning results,” he said.

Baker said Ecolab was “particularly proud to receive this recognition in China, home to one of our fastest growing businesses and a major market for our future.”

Sharon Muncey of PartyLite Canada presents Alex Gough with check for Canadian Luge Association.

PartyLite Benefits Children’s Miracle Network, Canadian Luge Association
CANADA: At PartyLite Canada’s National Conference at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, consultants donated more than $300,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network and the Canadian Luge Association.

PartyLite has been a supporter of the Children’s Miracle Network since 1997, and during the past 14 years, customers and consultants have helped raise more than $3.4 million for the charity. At the event, PartyLite presented the Children’s Miracle Network with a check for $201,809.

“We are grateful for the continued support from our friends at PartyLite,” said John Hartman, chief international officer for Children’s Miracle Network. “On behalf of our member foundations and the 2.6 million children treated in Canadian children’s hospitals each year—thank you!”

The remaining funds were donated to the Canadian Luge Association, a relationship PartyLite started in October 2009 with the creation of a special pack of candles representing colors associated with the 2010 Winter Games. From October to March 31, 2010, for every “Celebrate Canada” votive combination sold by PartyLite’s Canadian consultants, PartyLite donated $2 to the Canadian Luge Association. A second program to celebrate Canada Day and to generate further support, included donations from the sales of a limited edition special pack of red and white candles.


Jafra Donation Supports SOS Children’s Villages
VIETNAM: Jafra Cosmetics International, Inc. has donated a portion of product sales, totaling more than $100,000, to help SOS Children’s Villages construct a new village in Vietnam. The donation is part of a larger gift to the SOS Children’s Villages that was made by Jafra’s parent company, the Vorwerk Group, a family-owned business based in Germany.

The new SOS village is located in Quy Nhon, Vietnam and will open in 2011. Providing round-the-clock, family-style care in 14 houses, the village will accommodate up to 140 children. Like all SOS Villages, the village structures will be built with sound ecological principles—using solar power, for example, to provide lighting and hot water. The village will be integrated into the larger, local Vietnamese community, embracing the local culture and customs.

Founded in 1949, SOS Children’s Villages is an international charity dedicated to raising orphaned and abandoned children.

“Helping children throughout the world is a natural priority for Jafra, since we are very much a family-oriented company,” said Dr. Friedrich Kroos, Jafra president and chief executive officer. “Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and caring environment. SOS Children’s Villages has an incredible history of providing for children in need who have no one to help them. We feel fortunate to be able to support their worthy and highly successful efforts by helping to provide financial support for the construction of these new homes in Vietnam.”


McBride Acquires Czech Skin Care Company
CZECH REPUBLIC: McBride plc, a private label household and personal care company, has acquired a 70% interest in Dermacol, a privately owned, Czech-based manufacturer of skin care products, for approximately $12.2 million. McBride has also agreed to purchase the remaining 30% of the shares from Dermacol’s parent company, Alphaduct a.s., in 2017 for a consideration based on the company’s operating profit in the 2017 financial year.

Dermacol provides McBride with an established private label product range in the largest sector of the European personal care market, and creates the base for future growth in its skin care business, the company said.

Dermacol manufactures face creams, skin cleansers, sun care products, body lotions, hand creams and foot creams. Its sales are evenly split between private label products for supermarkets and pharmacy chains and branded products for Alphaduct, which are sold in the Czech Republic and certain other markets.

As part of the acquisition agreement, Alphaduct remains the owner of the Dermacol brand and trademarks and it will continue the distribution and marketing of its branded products. Alphaduct has entered into an agreement with the company to purchase a minimum volume of product on a cost plus basis until 2018.

Dermacol has one factory, which is based near Brno in the Czech Republic, and employs more than 100 people.

McBride’s sales for the year ended June 30, 2010 rose 2% to approximately $1.25 billion.


Arizona Chemical Signs Deal With Elgin in China, Taiwan
CHINA: Arizona Chemical, Jacksonville, FL, has formed a new partnership with Elgin Corporation to represent its specialty product division’s line of personal care ingredients for the China and Taiwan markets.

“We believe Elgin is the right partner with the reputation and experience to achieve Arizona Chemical’s goals in the China and Taiwan markets,” stated Tom Fontana, director of Arizona Chemical’s Specialty Products Division.

The Elgin Corporation, established in 1982, is a leading raw material supplier, specializing in cosmetics and personal care, in both Taiwan and China. The company represents a wide range of raw materials for formulation. Elgin has headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan and Shanghai, China, with six additional branch offices in China and two in Taiwan. The company also has two technical service laboratories in Taipei and Ghangzhou, China that provide formulation assistance and troubleshooting.


Bosley Professional Strength Now in Puerto Rico
PUERTO RICO: Bosley Professional Strength, Beverly Hills, CA, has named its first distributor outside of the contiguous U.S. Headquartered in San Juan, Gerpri Beauty Corp. will service hair salons throughout Puerto Rico.

“Early prevention and education are key to maintaining thicker, fuller looking hair for life,” said Eric McLemore, president of Bosley Professional Strength. “Gerpri Beauty is ready to bring advanced education about Bosley Professional Strength to Puerto Rico. Gerpri is a company that focuses on the hairdresser and education, which makes them a great fit for Bosley Professional Strength.”

Available since January, the Bosley Professional Strength collection includes daily-use thickening products for color-treated and non-color-treated hair, volumizing styling products and healthy hair treatments.


Info on Muslim, Chinese Markets at In-Cosmetics Asia
THAILAND: At In-Cosmetics Asia, scheduled for Nov. 2-4, 2010 in Bangkok, marketing trends presentations will dissect the latest developments in the market, providing practical advice on how companies can capitalize on them, according to show organizers.

Despite the size of the Muslim community, few cosmetic brands have succeeded in building solid relationships with these consumers. John Goodman of Ogilvy & Mather attributes this to a fundamental lack of understanding of the underlying ideas and values that are at the heart of a modern Muslim lifestyle. His In-Cosmetics Asia presentation, “Brands, Islam and the New Muslim Consumer,” will take into consideration the groundbreaking Noor Brand Index which benchmarks the appeal of specific brands to Muslim consumers, by ranking consumer perceptions of their Shariah-compliance, while highlighting how global brands can forge highly successful relationships with Muslim consumers.

With the market potential for Halal cosmetics and toiletries increasing, there is a huge and invaluable opportunity for cosmetic companies to build their business in the market, provided they understand the core values of the Islamic community. Darhim Hashim from the Halal Integrity Alliance will examine the challenges and opportunities in the market, compliance with standards and manufacturing restrictions in “Halal Cosmetics: Embracing Universal Values.”

In addition to global ingredient and product patterns, trends in specific countries will also be analyzed on an individual basis, including presentations such as “China’s Consumers—A Reality Check,” which will explore some of the fundamental realities that should be addressed to be successful in the country from a personal care point of view. Another presentation will examine the key drivers in the Indian cosmetics market.

In addition, new media channels such as Facebook will be explored so companies can gauge the importance of the different channels and how to maximize each tool’s effectiveness for the best possible ROI. Another presentation will cover naturals from a men’s grooming point of view.

“We know that visitors to In-Cosmetics Asia are thirsty for knowledge on a technical and scientific level but our research has revealed that solid marketing insights are also incredibly in demand,” said Sarah Gibson, In-Cosmetics Asia exhibition manager. “There are many opportunities and challenges inherent in the different countries so through our country-focused presentations, we have aimed to cover the most topical ones and provide delegates with all the tools they might need to build a successful personal care business in Asia.”
More info: www.in-cosmeticsasia.com/ marketingtrends


Avon’s First Millionaire Is a Woman in the UK
UNITED KINGDOM: Debbie Davis is Avon’s first ever millionaire—just six yearsafter she starting selling the cosmetics brand in the UK.

Davis, 31, is the cosmetics company’s most successful saleswoman in the UK; she heads a national sales team of nearly 8,000 people, according to published reports.


Boss Bottled Night Website Creates Chic City Buzz
UNITED KINGDOM: Blast Radius, a London-based agency, was tapped to develop a special website to help launch the new Boss fragrance for men, Boss Bottled Night.

The site reportedly connects urban men with the ritual of prepping for a night on the town by tapping into the spirit of nightfall as it strikes cosmopolitan centers around the globe.

“There’s an hour of excitement every night as people get ready to go out on the town—this happens in every urban center,” says Sean Chambers, executive creative director for Blast Radius in Europe.

“We thought: it’s always nighttime somewhere. What if we could let people tune into that sizzling, night-out energy at any time of day, from anywhere in the world,” he added.

The cities featured on the site change according to where it’s dusk. The site streams content related to each city—like local radio stations that stream club music, as well as cool info for the chic urbanite—as well as weather info from Yahoo, mood sentiment from Twitter and stats on lifestyle that Blast Radius researched specifically for Boss.

“We wanted to emphasize the Boss heritage of always being prepared, and the cool and composed attitude of the Boss man. The Boss Bottled Night experience does that,” said Jopa Malantic, global design brand manager at Boss Fragrances.

“Men in this demographic regularly check the web to figure out where to go that night,” explained Chambers. “Our goal is to create a website that is fun and interesting to set the mood as you’re getting ready. You might have this site up on your laptop or flatscreen TV as you’re prepping for the evening.”


Shiseido To Sell Cosmetics In Georgia
JAPAN: Shiseido will begin selling products in Georgia in October, marking its foray into the country.

The Japanese cosmetics firm will offer its luxury flagship brand of makeup and skin care lines through Prestige Ltd., a distributor Shiseido says has “a proven track record in selling luxury cosmetics.”

With this latest endeavor, Shiseido’s overseas cosmetic sales will encompass 78 countries and regions (including Japan) throughout the world; 44 countries are in the European region.

Shiseido has been making inroads into new markets this year, including Mongolia in May and three Balkan Peninsula countries, beginning with Albania in July followed by Kosovo and Macedonia, respectively, from August and September.


Fujifilm To Sell Skin Care Products in China
CHINA: Fujifilm Corp. plans to sell its Astalift skin care products in China, marking the firm’s first attempt to sell the cosmetics in the overseas market. Sales were expected to commence on Sept. 16 online, according to reports. Fujifilm, which sells its products in stores in Hong Kong, will start a local website in China later this year.


Iran Charges Oriflame Employee, Shutters Office
IRAN: A Swedish-Iranian employee of Swedish cosmetics firm Oriflame was charged in Iran for establishing a pyramid scheme and deriving illegal earnings from it, according to Sweden’s foreign ministry. The news came following Iran’s shuttering of Oriflame’s Tehran’s office in late August amid allegations that it was running a pyramid scheme and was also possibly backed by a spy agency.

“We are a cosmetics company, we are selling direct. We are of course not involved in any political activities in the country. It is very difficult to comment on,” Oriflame’s chief financial officer Gabriel Bennet told reporters.

Iran accounts for 20% of Oriflame’s sales in the Asia region.


HPCI Congress Is Dec. 16-17 In Mumbai
INDIA: The HPCI Congress and Exhibition, which will be held Dec. 16-17 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Mumbai Santacruz in Mumbai, will feature international and local suppliers and trading companies and will provide a unique chance to learn about new ingredients, the progress in formulation techniques and concepts offered by global and local suppliers.

The HPCI Conference, co-organized by the Indian Society of Cosmetic Chemists (ISCC),will feature scientific and technical aspects in home and personal care production, covering skin aging, new actives, bioavailability, nanotechnology, green cleaners, detergents, legislation, REACH, formulation techniques and sensory.

A major focus will be the presentation of new ingredients for innovative products.
More info: www.hpci-congress.com


Lower-Priced Beauty BrandsPopping Up in Japan
JAPAN: Major beauty companies in the country are reportedly releasing products at lower price points than they have in the past. Kanebo Cosmetics Inc. has launched a new brand consisting of four essential products, such as lotion and moisturizer, which sell for less than 1,000 yen each. Comparable items were previously sold for at least 1,500 yen, according to The Nikkei.

Other big players are following. Shiseido is reportedly planning to launch its own low-priced brand and Kosé is touting items that sell for around 1,000 yen, geared to customers in their 40s and 50s, according to the report.