Cargill to focus on personal care ingredients with new appointment

Tony Jaillot joins the company as global general manager for its personal care business: Cargill notes he brings over 20 years of industry experience to the role, having served in a number of leadership roles for several key ingredients players, including BASF and Gattefossé.

Cosmetics Design spoke to Jaillot on his appointment, getting the inside scoop on the direction Cargill hopes to take its efforts in the personal care and cosmetics market.

Time is ripe for personal care​

Jaillot explained that while Cargill has been building its efforts in personal care for a number of years, the company feels now is the moment to devote its focus more fully to the industry.

“Personal care is a key growth platform for Cargill,”​ the newly appointed general manager explained. “The company felt there is the right momentum today to put new resources and ambition into it.”​

According to Jaillot, Cargill’s expertise in natural ingredients is a key factor driving the shift in focus towards personal care, with the industry seeing a sustained and consistently growing appetite for natural and organic formulation.

“We have signals, both from our customers and from what we feel from the consumer side of the market, that the need for natural derived ingredients is becoming mainstream and becoming very strong.”​

Naturals: a key strategy​

The industry expert noted that the use of naturals in formulation is no longer an optional approach for many formulators, with consumer demand reaching such a level that it cannot be ignored.

“It used to be a few niche brands for lines, and targeted at specific markets. But now, it’s not just a trend - it’s a whole lifestyle approach to ethical products. It’s a key strategy for most of our customers - it’s a key component for personal care brands.”​

Maintaining performance standards​

A key concern for brands and formulators moving to use natural ingredients - particularly when it comes to actives - is ensuring the same levels of performance are met as synthetic alternatives would achieve.

Jaillot explained that this is a key area of focus for Cargill as it moves forward with supplying the personal care industry.

“It’s of course a challenge - making sure the naturally derived ingredients meet the same level of quality of value - but if there’s one player who can reach that goal, it’s really Cargill,”​ he asserted.

“Cargill is the number one food and drink supplier, and has great knowledge when it comes to texture in food - if you apply these expertise into personal care, not only you help the translation of synthetic to natural, you increase the capacity for innovation.”​

Global focus​

Jaillot explained that strategically, Cargill intends to ultimately target all categories within personal care, including hair care, deodorants and oral care, but the central focus will be skin care.

The company’s ambition is global, he noted, but will begin building its personal care profile in the more developed markets of Europe and North America, before turning its sights onto the worldwide stage.

“Not in the immediate term, but eventually Asia will be a strong focus for us,​” the GM explained. Jaillot concluded by stating how excited the Cargill team is for its new focus on personal care.