Natural beauty ingredient maker Earthoil acquired by Univar
With headquarters in Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom, Earthoil is a company that grows, processes, and markets oils and extracts for use in cosmetics and personal care formulations. The company grows and processes seeds and nuts in Kenya and has warehousing facilities on three continents (Africa, Europe, and North America), according to an overview on Bloomberg.com.
The company got its start in 2001 and since February 2007 has operated as a subsidiary of Treatt plc (a multinational ingredient maker and supplier). In 2017, Earthoil had approximately $11m in sales, according to a Univar press release.
In line with current market and consumer expectations, Earthoil foregrounds ethical sourcing practices. “The knowledge that products have been traded with fair trade practices and with full traceable origins is central to the corporate social responsibility mission of many of Earthoil’s clients,” according to the company site, which goes on to say that “In all of our community grower projects, we are involved from the ground up – in the selection of planting materials, the cultivation methods, harvesting and processing – having a long term and trusting relationship to show commitment, support, trust, transparency and co-operation.”
Next steps
Earthoil expects to serve its customers (and presumably more of them) better though the new deal with Univar. “I'm really excited about this new chapter in the story of Earthoil. Over the last decade Earthoil has gained a justified reputation for supplying sustainable, organic oil ingredients for the personal care sector,” Richard Eyles, general manager at Earthoil, tells the press.
“The synergistic combination of Univar's global sales reach, distribution expertise and formulateon laboratories, coupled with Earthoil's expertise in sourcing its provenance-rich range of essential oils and vegetable oils, will benefit our valued customers,” he says.
Natural beauty
Univar serves a number of industries, including agriculture, food, mining, and water treatment. And the company distributes an array of ingredients to personal care and cosmetics makers, ingredients ranging from actives to emollients, mineral oils to silicones, and solvents to surfactants.
According to the company site, “Univar's personal care product portfolio highlights natural and sulfate-free ingredients.” So the Earthoil acquisition isn’t exactly a new business for the company but rather an expansion of one that’s doing well in the current market.
“Earthoil presents us with an attractive opportunity to add a natural ingredient product portfolio that we can leverage across our growing customer base in the European and global natural beauty and personal care market,” Nick Powell, president of EMEA for Univar, says in the press release. “Earthoil and Univar share a commitment to develop ethically and socially responsible ingredients for our customers as well as our key supplier partners.”
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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.
