Pharmaceutical and cosmetics

The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have a continuous focus on developing new concepts and products. Biobased products and components have specific functionalities and features that offer a range of interesting possibilities to these industries. The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries function within specialised markets which focus on high-quality products. The legal protection of data, quality and safety is central to the development of innovative new products. Biobased products & components and manufacturing processes (on a microbial and enzymatic basis, for example) offer interesting opportunities for these markets. Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with bioactive ingredients purported to have medical benefits. There are no legal requirements to prove that these products live up to their claims. The name is a combination of "cosmetics" and "pharmaceuticals". "Nutricosmetics" are related to dietary supplement or food or beverage products with additives that are marketed as having medical benefits that affect appearance. The demand for natural medicines and cosmetics constantly increases and became mainstream, which is why many brands emphasize their "natural” products. An environmentally oriented procurement can strengthen the substantial availability and quality of raw materials and therefore ensure a good reputation of the brand. The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries rely on genetic diversity and biodiversity. Since most of their row materials derive from nature, the increasing loss of biodiversity impacts their resources. 72,000 (17 %) of all global plant species are used for medical purposes, 15,000 (21 %) of them being endangered species. Research & Development 25 to 50 % of the pharmaceutical market is derived from active ingredients from nature (TEEB 2010) 118 out of the 150 most prescribed medications in the USA are developed from natural resources 74 % of these medications are generated of plants, 18 % derive from fungi, 5 % from bacteria, and 1 % from a specific snake species The development of most medications is based on the research on flora and fauna, especially from tropic forests or marine organisms (cancer drugs in particular) The estimated value of marine biodiversity which is used to generate new cancer drugs comes up to 0.56 – 5.69 Billion US$ The pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors depend on the natures’ provision of plants producing special ingredients, and therefore they rely directly on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Because not all of these plants can be cultivated, there is a lot of wild collection. The underlying agricultural production (especially of Palm Oil) leads to land-use changes and degradation. Most cosmetic contents, like saponins, flavonoids, amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins derived from natural resources. In addition, the sector relies on natural materials like fish oils, soy and palm oil to manufacture drugs. For this sector, the declining biodiversity impacts operational, reputational, regulatory, and market risks as well as new opportunities linked to new drug discovery. Furthermore, species which could be of great value for the cosmic and pharmaceutical production could cease. The main environmental impacts are the (indirect) land usage for resource production, the destruction of natural habitats and ecosystems, pollution through the use of pesticides and fertilizer and erosion promoting cultivation methods. Similar to the land use of raw material production, companies should assess the geographic location of its own production sites as well as those of its suppliers and undertake a risk assessment. Especially suppliers operating in biodiversity-rich regions should have a functioning and certified environmental management system (ISO 14001, EMAS III). The Fact Sheet gives detailed information on cosmetics and biodiversity and provides several guidelines for companies. Medications Even at the end of the cosmetic value chains there exist risks of negative impacts on biodiversity. For example, many of the active ingredients of cosmetics end up in the sewage water and cannot be filtered in conventional sewage treatment plants. Such "Xenobiotic” (bio-incompatible) materials end up in streams and rivers and are likely to accumulate in aquatic organisms and for instance, compromise their reproductive capabilities. References 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmeceutical 2. https://www.business-biodiversity.eu/en/cosmetics---pharmaceutical By Garibli A.