BASF will expand its emollients and waxes production capacity with a new plant at its site in Jinshan, Shanghai. The investment, complementing the current production of wax esters, emulsifiers and primary surfactants in Jinshan, will further enhance BASF’s local production and better serve the growing personal care market in Asia Pacific.
The Asian beauty and personal care industry has become increasingly influential in the worldwide marketplace. To serve sophisticated end consumer demands better, brand owners are actively finding ways to innovate products with high performance, unique aesthetics, and outstanding texture and skin feel. As one of the leading suppliers to the personal care industry, BASF aims to mobilise resources to serve global, regional and local brands better and quicker.
“Emollients and waxes are important in governing the tactile feeling and skin sensation of end products. China is one of the biggest personal care markets. Strengthening our production facility in China allows us to serve customers in the region quicker with greater flexibility. Combined with our technical services, market insights and knowledge, a reliable supply of high quality emollients and waxes will complement our strengths in serving Asian customers better,” said Dr Thomas Groesser, senior vice president of Care Chemicals Asia Pacific, BASF.
The additional facility is anticipated to go on stream in the first quarter of 2017. With easy access to BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific (Shanghai), which is BASF’s largest research site in Asia Pacific, the additional facility will enable close collaboration in the development of innovative products meeting specific Asian personal care needs.
At present, the Jinshan production site manufactures a variety of personal care raw materials including wax esters, emulsifiers and primary surfactants. The major applications of emollients and waxes are for skin care, baby and child care, deodorants, and oral care. Several products produced in the Jinshan plant are derived from natural feedstock including palm (kernel) oil. The Jinshan site is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) supply chain certification system, using the Mass Balance (MB) model to assure the use of RSPO certified sustainable palm (kernel) oil products.
“Many customers in the personal care market are committed to implementing global sustainability requirements. For example, they are devoted to the use of sustainable raw materials to manufacture products. We believe it is a shared responsibility for every stakeholder in the market to work collaboratively and drive positive economic development while fostering sustainable palm and palm kernel oil production and usage. Producing RSPO-certified products is one of our key steps in fulfilling the needs of a sustainable business which is an integral part of BASF’s strategy,” said Thomas Groesser.
