Since the early 2000s, with the launch of the Ekos brand, Natura began a deeper process of approaching natural and renewable ingredients of plant origin. According to Iguatemi Melo Costa, Natura's scientific manager, the decisions made by the company coincide with a moment when the consumer began to become more aware of the positive impact and how choosing products closer to nature can bring benefits to them, to the environment, and to society as a whole.
Therefore, it is pertinent that Natura is one of the supporters of the 6th International Phytocosmetics & Phytotherapy Congress, which will be held in São Paulo, from November 27th to 29th, at the Bourbon Hotel, with the closing session at Natura's headquarters in Cajamar. The 2017 South American edition is organized by the International Society for Phytocosmetic Science and the Faculty of Agrarian Sciences - FCA, UNESP Botucatu, and has contributions from other institutions and companies.
About 120 participants from various countries, both in Latin America, North America, and Europe, are expected to attend the congress. They are members of the academy who will come together to discuss and exchange experiences, through lectures and presentations of works, regarding this field where science and traditional knowledge unite in search of the best way to use natural ingredients that bring cosmetic benefits to the consumer.
Check out the following interview with Iguatemi, president of this year's event, anticipating some of the congress's attractions, and talking about his and Natura's vision regarding the importance of phytocosmetics, in Brazil and around the world:
What is phytocosmetic science? What is Natura's interest in investing in this area?
Phytocosmetics, in very simple terms, are cosmetics that come from a plant base. Even without calling it by that name, Natura has been working with this for quite some time. Since the beginning, there has been an approach by the company towards working with natural ingredients, with specific plant chains, a milestone of which was the launch of the Ekos brand in 2000. Chronos also has a very long history of using active ingredients from plant sources associated with other more renowned ingredients.
Throughout its history, the company chose "vegetalization," that is, the substitution of petrochemical or even animal-sourced ingredients with renewable plant-sourced ingredients. So, throughout its history, despite not naming or promoting itself with the name "phytocosmetic," the company naturally moved closer to cosmetics more connected to plant sources, and nature in a broad sense, but more specifically to the nature of plants.
How is this theme developing in Brazil?
In Brazil, we have an important history of researchers working with biodiversity, more specifically with plants, with botany, from the research of natural products from plant sources to the research of biodiversity itself, understanding plants, and botany.
And something that is also quite relevant in Brazil, and that has gained increasing prominence in the company's strategy itself, is the relationship between humans and plants, which we call ethnobotany, that is, how traditional populations, or traditional knowledge, have an important relationship with the use of plants for medicinal applications, perfumery, and the most diverse purposes.
How can science benefit from this traditional knowledge?
Many populations have lived with plants for a long time, so it is natural for science to appropriate this knowledge, which is a bit more empirical, built in a different way. The various traditional pharmacopeias—Chinese, Indian, and even in ancient Egypt—have this approach to nature and the systematic use of natural ingredients, more specifically plant ingredients. I see that modern science has been getting closer and closer to this, which culminates in a different place, which I think is what we are experiencing now.
This knowledge has always had a focus very directed towards medicine, towards healing. In other cultures, this is a little more diffuse, but in the West, there was no such holistic approach. The understanding of health has also evolved to something more holistic, to a broader understanding, which takes into account this non-medicinal perspective in the treatment of a problem, but which seeks to maintain well-being. We can say that this is a broader understanding of the concept of health today, which brings cosmetics closer. In this context, cosmetics cease to be seen as something superfluous and come to be seen as a part of this broader health perspective. All of this makes phytocosmetics gain a more prominent role today and experience a very important moment of evolution.
Throughout its history, Natura prepared to work in this area with a greater technical-scientific foundation. With this awakening to the importance of traditional knowledge, and the evolution of science, and the technologies we have available to conduct this investigation, the moment becomes quite relevant.
Added to this is the fact that Brazil is one of the main cosmetic markets in the world, which makes this industry very important. Furthermore, there is Brazil's relevance in the discussion of biodiversity, bioeconomy, access to traditional knowledge, and biological resources.
Placed in the same cauldron, these elements caused Natura's approach to the topic, and more particularly now, with the various institutions that are intertwined for this International Congress of Phytocosmetics.
Where are we in this transition to a more natural cosmetic production? How did Natura's pioneering role in the area come about?
I think Natura's pioneering role is established. The time we started talking about this with much more emphasis was around the 2000s, with the milestone of Ekos. Before that, little was said on the subject, and the term sustainability was not so commonly used. The company's approach to the subject and its leading role started from that moment.
I think what we are experiencing today is a consumer awakening about certain subjects, in the general choices they make. I speak of sustainability in a broad term, the source of the product, where it came from; in short, a greater openness that companies will have to adapt to.
So, I think we have taken an important step, but analyzing the cosmetic market as a whole, even if the relevance of this issue is very pronounced, it is still not complete, and a good part of this market still belongs to other environments, of glamour, status.
But, looking broadly, although natural cosmetics are not yet the main trend, they are one of the ones that grow most consistently. So, if we are to place ourselves on this journey, I would say we are at a moment of consumer awakening, with consistent growth above the growth rate of cosmetics as a whole.
Consumers are increasingly interested in more conscious consumption, with a greater commitment to the origins of what they consume, and the impact of these products, including on their own health. If it is possible to choose a product with adequate performance that has a naturalness, that will be a natural choice.
So we are at an important moment of opening this awareness and we can expect there to be perhaps an inversion in the near future, with even greater relevance for natural, plant-sourced cosmetics. We are at a turning point.
What is the importance of the congress at this turning point?
From the company's perspective, what I find quite important is that at this moment we are becoming an even more globally relevant group. There was, for example, the recent acquisition of The Body Shop, which is a company that also has these sustainable choices in its DNA, and the use of plant ingredients in a manner very similar to Natura's choices, with a presence all over the world.
We realize that, globally, the maturity of the markets is a little different. So the company's approach to the knowledge being generated in the world regarding phytocosmetics is pertinent, how this is evolving through the academy; in short, how this science is consolidating.
From the perspective of the other side, the groups that came together for the establishment of an International Society of Phytocosmetics, the relevance is precisely the recognition of this by the companies. Companies are increasingly opening their eyes to this theme and giving it relevance and openness.
So, this mutual meeting is very pertinent. And thinking about Brazil, the researchers here, who work with these themes of natural products, do not have such clarity about cosmetic use as an outlet or an interest for the final result of their research.
It is very natural to want to fight cancer, develop a bactericide, while there is another very important field also focused on other issues, such as perfumery, skin treatment, hair treatment... There is a more expanded view on well-being and health, in which these ingredients can also play a relevant role.
That is one point. Another is that, because Brazil is a very important cosmetic market, Brazilian universities are among those that collaborate the most with cosmetic companies worldwide. So, we have a series of factors that bring relevance to Brazil, again, due to all its relevance with natural products, with the development of biodiversity, with discussions of traditional use, genetic heritage, and with an already existing maturity of researchers in this scope of plant-based products, with an important industrial park working in cosmetics.
Again, I think it is a very appropriate moment with mutual benefits in this approach.
What will the congress format be like?
It has a classic design of academic congresses with the difference that we will have oral presentations with special guests, but we also had the submission of papers, which will appear both in the form of posters, with evaluation sessions, and as oral presentations. Some papers will be presented along with these guest lectures.
The intention is to bring both the results of academic works regarding the development of ingredients with potential cosmetic use, their different fields of action, from ethnobotany to more analytical chemistry, passing through the safety of cosmetic ingredients, but also to bring cases of how the industry managed, based on established knowledge, to bring products to market.
Very happily, it coincided that we just launched the Ekos Patauá line, which has an ingredient that tells this story. In this project, we have traditional knowledge, science, both in approaching traditional knowledge and in reading this in mappings of biological activity. We have the cosmetology technique of elaborating products that reinforce the strategy and intrinsic activity of these ingredients, and finally a launch.
It is a story from beginning to end, a very nice case that illustrates the entire theme that the congress wants to bring, from ethical respect for traditional knowledge, good science, and how this transforms into value for society. In the end, this is the interest of the congress, to promote the value of phytocosmetics as a benefit to society as a whole.
All articles that will be exhibited are peer-reviewed, in an impartial manner. This does not involve Natura. The International Society already has an established group, but took care to select other researchers for the evaluation panels.
Can you anticipate some of the congress's attractions?
Of the lectures we expect to hear, we have Professor Armando Caceres, who is our keynote speaker. He will address the plants used by the Mayan civilization as superfoods, bringing all this connection between traditional knowledge and its use, how science currently performs this analysis and validation. Another invited guest is Cristiane de Moraes, who is the representative in Brazil of the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT), a non-governmental organization that works globally with these cosmetic chains that deal with traditional communities, how we ensure ethical trade between large groups and small farmers, collectors, etc. They also map how consumers understand this value, which is one of the perspectives that attracts us as a company, how this value returns to society, how society perceives this value, and also how it secures and measures it, so there is a certification work involved. The idea is for her to talk a little about the work they develop, called the biodiversity barometer, and how it evolves in the countries where UEBT operates.
These are two examples of lectures that will take place during the congress, one with quite academic value and the other more focused on the market and society.
Why is Natura supporting this congress?
On the one hand, we had the invitation from the International Society for Phytocosmetic Science, which was extended to me some time ago, probably due to the visibility that Natura has in this work. At the time, I was working in the Manaus hub when I was invited to join the Society, which later culminated in the invitation to organize the congress.
From the company's perspective, it is increasingly clear that, even if we were not calling this phytocosmetics, this is a topic completely adherent to the choices the company made in the past. So I think the trend is for this approximation to be even more perennial from now on.
