Raw materials and active ingredients – Pharma, Cosmetic & Supplement Ingredients

Cosmetic Raw Materials: Clean Beauty and Advanced Biotechnology

In the cosmetics sector, R&D departments are looking for ingredients that combine documented effectiveness with ecological requirements:

• Active Ingredients and Peptides: Substances with barrier, anti-aging, or brightening properties. In vivo and in vitro testing confirm the claimed product efficacy is the basis for verification.
• Standardized Extracts: A shift from plant extracts to raw materials standardized for specific markers (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids), ensuring batch-to-batch consistency.
• Functional Raw Materials: Innovative emulsifiers and rheology modifiers. Alternatives to silicones and microplastics, compliant with Ecocert/COSMOS certification guidelines, are gaining importance.

Pharmaceutical Raw Materials: API Standards and Excipients

Drug production requires components of the highest purity, compliant with Pharmacopoeia (EP/USP) requirements. Key issues in this area include:

• API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients): Active ingredients manufactured in accordance with GMP standards. Micronization (particle size) is an important technological parameter, which directly affects the release of the drug substance.
• Excipients: Fillers, disintegrants, and coatings. These must be biologically inert, and their technical parameters determine the efficiency of the tableting and encapsulation processes.
• Solvents and Reagents: Analytical-grade components, essential for the synthesis process and quality control (QC) procedures.

Raw Materials for Dietary Supplements: Bioavailability and Trends

Dietary supplements require ingredients that combine food safety standards with pharmaceutical precision:

• Vitamins, Minerals, and Chelates: Focus on highly bioavailable forms (e.g., citrates, bisglycinates), which guarantee optimal absorption of the substance by the body.
• Probiotics and Postbiotics: Stable bacterial strains requiring specific transport and storage procedures to maintain their viability in the finished capsule.
• Novel Food: Ingredients marketed in accordance with EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) safety procedures.

Table: Documentation and quality standards in the supply chain

Compliance and Safety – The Role of Raw Material Documentation

For purchasing and quality control (QA/QC) departments, documentation is an integral part of raw materials. During industry meetings, substantive aspects of component approval are discussed:

Certificate of Analysis (CoA) and Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Each raw material batch must have a full analytical report, including heavy metal levels and microbiological purity.

REACH and CLP Compliance: Chemical safety and proper labeling of raw materials in accordance with EU regulations.

Sustainability: Certifications such as RSPO (palm oil), EcoVadis (supplier assessment), and raw material origin declarations (e.g., non-GMO).

Biological Safety: TSE/BSE Free declarations, important for raw materials of animal and mineral origin.

PCI Days as a venue for substantive exchange of information

The event brings together domestic and international suppliers and manufacturers, providing direct access to raw material specifications and consultations with technology departments. It provides an opportunity to discuss issues related to formulation sustainability, optimizing formulation costs, and resolving ingredient interactions during the product design phase.