Vantage acquires anti-acne technologies

01-Jul-2015 - Last updated on 02-Jul-2015 at 15:48 GMT

Today, the specialty chemical supplier adds two patented Essential Ingredients technologies to its Lipo brand catalog of personal care actives.

The transaction was finalized on Tuesday, though financial terms of the deal have not been released.

The anti-acne ingredients—Curoxyl and Curcylic—were previously available from Essential Ingredients, a personal care sales and marketing organization based in Georgia with regional reach. Essential Ingredients has distribution partnerships with several prominent specialty chemical suppliers, including Lubrizol, Floratech, Clariant, and Vitech.

In good company
“This acquisition complements Vantage Specialty Ingredients’ global personal care business under the Lipo brand, strengthening its offering of active ingredients and acne solutions,” explains the company in a press release announcing the availability of Curoxyl and Curcylic.

Vantage Personal Care is based in New Jersey and distributes to over 60 countries. The company expanded with the acquisition of pharmaceutical supplier Ruger Chemical three years ago and before that bought Lipo, which now functions as the personal care division of Vantage.

Active ingredients
Essential Ingredients was issued a patent for Curoxyl in April of this year, and credits Chris Gerlach and Mike Davies with devising the technology.

The Vantage release describes it: “Curoxyl Benzoyl Peroxide Gel USP, is a patented, aqueous based, micronized benzoyl peroxide dispersion in the form of a gel. Curoxyl® can be the starting point for topically applied anti-acne creams, anti-acne wipes, face and body washes, cleansers and medicated pet shampoo formulations.”

Vantage also picked up Curcylic in the deal. That acne solution is billed as a safe, stable form of Salicylic Acid, whichmeets the USP Salicylic Acid Gel Monograph, notes the company's release.

Niche skin care
Conventional ingredients and variants thereof, lead the segment. Though, novel technologies emerge regularly in the anti-acne space. Wearable device maker IlluMask went to market earlier this year with a portable LED mask priced for the mass market at $29.95. Market research analysts at Kline observed that the device category grew 14% in 2014 and that the anti-acne IlluMask “is well placed to gain traction in the mass US market,” as Cosmetics Design reported.

New ingredients turn up in anti-acne product formulations too. Hemp seed oil, for instance, is gaining popularity as US laws governing the growth and uses of the hemp evolve. Axim Biotechnologies, for one, is developing a personal care product line around the ingredient.