Skin care that really cares

From natural source to consumer

The search for sustainability

By the end of the 2000s the personal care market was undergoing major changes. Consumers wanted greater transparency around cosmetics ingredients, particularly regarding their effects on health and the environment. Our manufacturer customers, in turn, were looking for more natural and sustainable alternatives that could meet the rising expectations of end consumers.

Bioactive ingredients

As a pioneer in developing healthy and ethically sourced bioactive ingredient solutions, DSM's Personal Care business in Switzerland uses the edelweiss flower for its ability to withstand large variations in temperature and dehydration. Our scientists extracted the plant’s unique compounds in order to develop new and sustainable bioactive ingredients for skin care customers.

The team had a clear vision for its new product: sustainability (including fair trade), traceability and quality. We put in place measures to guarantee the traceability of the Alpaflor® range to cosmetics customers. In order to demonstrate that the product is fully organic and sustainable, we traced the origins of the final product back to the plant’s seed.

A transparent, traceable value chain

Taking control of the entire value chain - from natural source to supply - enables the full transparency and traceability of our products. These qualities can be used by our customers to enhance their value proposition with end consumers.

Purpose-led

To protect biodiversity and the natural landscape, we selected only organically farmed edelweiss plants. Furthermore, the team set up a long-term supply agreement with a cooperative of edelweiss farmers, guaranteeing a minimum price for each unit of product, as well as fair wages and free technical support. Alpaflor holds the Fair for Life standard, and all of the electricity used to create the product comes from renewable sources.

Performance-driven

With the Alpaflor range, our ingredients have become the core of our customers’ value proposition, and driven their performance and success with consumers. Strong value propositions go beyond the functional benefits of the product. In this case, the quality control and transparency underpinning the entire value chain defined Alpaflor’s distinctive value. This gives us a competitive edge because it can’t be easily replicated.

Read more

  • Support your immune system

    Support your immune system

    As a purpose-led partner engaged in keeping the world’s growing population healthy, DSM offers unique insights into the role of micronutrients in supporting the immune system.

  • DSM Nutritional Products

    DSM Nutritional Products

    DSM Nutritional Products is one of the world’s leading producers of essential nutrients like vitamins, carotenoids and nutritional lipids; as well as solutions for the feed, food, pharmaceutical and personal care industries.