Current Issue - Industry News

BASF is in the process of acquiring Ciba Holding. Ciba will strengthen BASF's strategy and operations in the field of specialized chemical engineering in the plastics additives, coating effects and water and paper fields. BASF will benefit from Ciba's global research, production and marketing platform, as well as the associated backward integration into raw materials and intermediates.

Symrise has acquired Manheimer Fragrances and Intercontinental Fragrances. The company plans to create a global air care center in the U.S. in 2009. These acquisitions will make Symrise a leading fragrance supplier for air fresheners in North America.

Arylessence has created fragrances with 100% organic certification, according to the company. The new fragrances are created from a palette that includes contemporary "green" notes, such as fruit, citrus and herbs as well as traditional spices, florals and woods. All of the new fragrances have USDA-accredited certification.

Steve Goddard, Founder and CEO of Pravana Naturceuticals, has recently acquired a veggie-fueled automobile to help purvey the company's edict of eco-responsible beauty. The "Veggie" van tours the country fueled exclusively by recycled waste vegetable oil.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA agreed to buy 50% of Russian perfume and cosmetics retailer Ile de Beaute, which will own the Russian rights to LVMH's Sephora stores as part of the transaction to be completed by the end of the year.

Dow Corning Corporation and Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. announced the two companies have signed joint development and marketing agreements to create and market a line of naturally derived ingredients for the personal care market.

Beiersdorf AG will open two new NIVEA Haus locations in Dubai and Berlin that will offer wellness care. The Dubai location will mainly offer cosmetic treatments, while the Berlin location will exclusively offer spontaneous treatments without appointments.

Avon Products Inc. announced it has selected Cabreúva, State of São Paulo, Brazil, as the location for its previously announced distribution center, expected to be opened in 2010.

New England Machinery, Inc. has launched its latest orienter, the Model SO-4 Center Neck Container Linear Orienter, designed to accept and convey rectangular, square and round bottles with centered necks and/or handles and orient them. The SO-4 distinguishes the bottle's incoming orientation based on container symmetry, using a variety of inspection methods, and orients the bottles accordingly. The bottles will face the same way to suit the customer's downstream packaging operation. The SO- 4 can orient 90, 190 or 270 degrees, depending upon inspection results. It is capable of processing up to 150 containers per minute, depending on the bottle size.

Sartorius Mechatronics has introduced two new catalogs. The Process Equipment Control Catalog features high-speed checkweighing, metal detectors, beltweighers, x-ray detection systems and software for process control. The Lab Catalog includes ultramicro-to-basic balances and scales, metrology products, pH meters, weight sets, moisture analysis, a water detection system and nationwide service capabilities, along with application references, product descriptions, technical information and specifications.

Charkit Chemical Corporation announced the company has entered into a distribution agreement with CRM International, a French producer of premium personal care and cosmetic ingredients, including a line of certified organic products.