At Caldic, our ability to deliver solutions stems from the expertise of our colleagues who work in our in-house state-of-the-art laboratories. Being recognized for these innovative solutions is always a matter of great pride. We were ecstatic when the Caldic India and Vietnam Personal Care teams received an Innovation Award from our principal Ichimaru Pharcos at the inCosmetics Asia last year. Pooja Dubey, Business Development Specialist at Caldic India, shares some details about this achievement.
“I am actively liaising with customers and suppliers, which gives us a full understanding of their challenges and concerns. This knowledge allows us to carefully select the specific market trend, function, or ingredient to focus on in our formulation or development work.”
However, Pooja and her team sometimes need a different approach to promote ingredients to the customer.
This was the case with the ingredients from our principal supplier Ichimaru Pharcos, who has a portfolio of natural and science-backed actives in the personal care market. The disruptions in the supply chain due to the Ukraine-Russia war and other geopolitical conflicts mean customers aren’t too keen on taking chances on unfamiliar ingredients, especially if no alternate supplier is available. The personal care teams saw this challenge as an opportunity, developing ‘concepts’ to help them understand the functionality and application of the more novel ingredients.
With smooth skin appearance being a major beauty trend, we selected acne prevention as a target market need. Combining this with another market ask – protection from the sun’s UV rays – we worked on creating a product concept. “I then select an ingredient or two or more from our portfolio that address these concerns,” says Pooja. The R&D team formulated a prototype in our application development labs comprising a selection of possible ingredients, packaging, price breakdown, and more.
These concepts are tested for their potential applications across a range of parameters, such as sensation on the skin and possible side effects. Additionally, the product concepts are benchmarked against existing products. Once it checks all the boxes, the samples are sent to the customer for trial, assessment, and, hopefully, approval.
Combining existing consumer trends and at least one ingredient from Ichimaru Pharcos’s portfolio, a wide range of possible end applications was created, allowing the customers to choose between purchasing a single ingredient or the whole concept. In India, the regulatory requirements for skin care ingredients are similar to those for pharmaceuticals. The team thus ensures that the ingredients have all the required quality certifications and clinical data to prevent delays and that the conditions in our warehouses are controlled to maintain their stability.
The customer has access to ready-to-launch formulations and technical support right till their products hit the shelves with no additional cost!
Soon, customers were asking for the full concept on top of single ingredients. In such cases, we ensured that there was a complete technology transfer for a seamless production ahead of the product’s commercialization. This thorough collaboration on new skin care product development has strengthened our partnership with both our principal supplier and customers, who continue to be inspired by our innovative concepts that drive new business opportunities.
Being acknowledged for excellent performance by a supplier is nothing new to us. In fact, two years ago, Ichimaru Pharcos recognized Caldic India with Sales Excellence Award. The two consecutive awards that recognize our commercial and technical capabilities are a testament to our deep industry know-how and our commitment to serving our principals.
Los consumidores quieren cuidado personal eficaz, ético y sensorial. Integramos experiencia en formulación con un portafolio global de ingredientes naturales, activos y especiales. Juntos hacemos realidad conceptos de belleza limpia, de forma responsable y a escala.
