French natural ingredients manufacturer Solabia has acquired Applechem, a US-based cosmetics technology supplier.
Founded in 2003 by Dr Samuel Lin within the Enterprise Development Center of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Applechem specialises in ingredients for cosmetics, personal care and sun care formulations.
Solabia said the acquisition will strengthen its presence in the US market and allow it to benefit from a wider range of ingredients.
Solabia creates natural active ingredients for the cosmetics, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and microbiology industries, and is present in more than 30 countries.
“We are very excited to welcome Applechem’s very talented and respected teams to Solabia,” said Jean-Baptiste Dellon, Solabia’s CEO.
“This operation will allow both companies to benefit from their combined knowhow, and to offer a broader portfolio of high performance ingredients to an expanded customer base.
“It also fully supports our international development strategy and showcases our ability to attract successful companies into Solabia Group as we look to grow our business in markets with strong potential.”
Applechem’s founder and CEO Lin commented: “By combining Applechem’s specialty ingredient solutions with Solabia’s excellent actives portfolio, this new partnership will enable us to better serve our customers globally.
“Joining with the Solabia Group will allow our collective expertise in specialty functional ingredient technologies and high performance bio-active platforms to accelerate the development of new innovative cosmetic ingredients.
“We look forward to building on the reputation we have for delivering excellence, and innovate alongside a company that shares our passion, values and ambition.”
Lin retains a minority share in Applechem and will remain CEO of the company.
The Applechem deal follows Solabia’s 2023 purchase of a majority stake in BioActor, a Netherlands-located manufacturer of polyphenols extracted from edible plants and fruits for use in supplements.