April’s top stories: Mibelle to buy P&G’s Ondal Sarl plant, microbeads research

Mibelle Group to buy P&G’s Ondal Sarl production plant in France

Switzerland-based beauty and personal care products Mibelle Group announced it would acquire Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Ondal Sarl production site in Sarreguemines, France.

Effective from July, the deal will enable Mibelle to boost its international growth strategy.

Following the completion of the deal, all the P&G employees will be retained by Mibelle.

New research rejects microbeads as pollution causing agent

A new study by researchers of the University of Michigan rejected the possibility of microbeads used in personal care products adversely impacting the environment.

This finding dismiss claims of environmentalists across the world, targeting the popular use microplastics in face washes, toothpastes and other products.

For the research, the scientists examined 145 fish that represented six species that were most likely to consume microbeads from water sources with highest levels of microplastics in the world such as Lakes Huron and Erie.

Johnson & Johnson to acquire NeoStrata

US-based pharmaceuticals and healthcare manufacturer Johnson & Johnson signed an agreement to acquire therapeutic and cosmetic dermatological products manufacturer NeoStrata.

Under the agreement, Johnson & Johnson will acquire NeoStrata’s affiliates and parent company TriStrata.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

Evonik to buy Alkion Biopharma

Germany-based specialty chemicals company Evonik signed a purchase agreement to buy Alkion Biopharma, a French-based company that manufactures biotechnologically developed cosmetic active ingredients.

With the purchase is scheduled to be completed in this month and the agreed amount has not been disclosed. Evonik is expecting to expand its portfolio of personal care business line in the area of speciality active ingredients.

Alkion was established as a spin-off of the Imperial College London in 2011, mainly involved in the extraction of cosmetic actives from plant biomass.

Myntra plans to sell personal care products in India

India’s Flipkart-owned online fashion store Myntra unveiled plans to move into the personal care segment.

It also aims to go into home furnishing, and precious and non-precious jewellery categories.

Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan was quoted by Economic Times as saying: "This is a big bet for us to take our first step to expansion in the lifestyle segment, which will also help us meet our set target of attaining profitability by 2017.

Max Factor product suite to go interactive with Blippar

Procter & Gamble’s Max Factor line of cosmetics entered a strategic partnership with Blippar, a leading visual discovery application.

Under the agreement, the entire product suite of Max factor has been made fully interactive with curated digital content using augmented reality.

The company stated that by blipping the items with the free Blippar app, cosmetics shoppers can reveal high-quality information and interactivity tailored to each product.

CIA invests in Skincential Sciences

The US Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital arm In-Q-Tel invested in cosmetics company Skincential Sciences.

Skincential Sciences manufactures beauty product range Clearista, and has developed a patented technology that removes the skin’s thin outer layer.

The technology is said to expose exclusive biomarkers that could help during diagnostic tests and DNA collection.

Exports of South Korean cosmetic products totals $2.45bn in 2015

South Korean exports of cosmetic products reached $2.45bn last year, surging by 53.1% from the $1.56bn recorded in 2014, according to data from Korea Customs Service (KCS).

In the past five years, exports of cosmetics from South Korea have more than tripled due to demand from China and other Asian countries.

Taste Beauty cosmetics collection targets teens in US

Partners Tom Crowley, Alex Fogelson and Sabrina Vertucci launched Taste Beauty, a manufacturer of high-quality scented and flavoured cosmetics.

It focuses on creating flavoured and scented cosmetics and personal care products to be sold throughout all channels of distribution.

The firm’s products include lip balms, lip glosses, nail polish, bath and body products.

MAC to launch Selena Quintanilla make-up collection in October

MAC Cosmetics announced its plan to launch its new MAC Selena collection, which is inspired by the late American singer Selena Quintanilla.

Curated with Selena’s sister Suzette, the new collection will be launched in October.

The upcoming collection includes MAC Selena Como La Flor lipstick, a deep magenta that takes its name from one of Selena’s main singles. The first look of the product has recently been released.