To support the Colombia + Competitiva (C+C) programme from Swisscontact Colombia, ProFound consultants Jolanda van Hal, Lisanne Groothuis and Gustavo Ferro are developing a roadmap for the natural ingredients for cosmetics sector in Colombia. In addition, they provide individual coaching for three projects in the C+C programme that aim to export specific natural ingredients for cosmetics; sacha inchi oil, Magdalena River nut oil and annatto extract.
Our consultants spent the last few weeks in Colombia, where they organised a workshop on the European market for cosmetic ingredients for stakeholders in the Colombian sector. Moreover, they identified key challenges and opportunities in Colombian natural ingredients, and facilitated the market strategies for the three different projects, to enhance access to international markets.
Colombia’s natural ingredients: opportunities and challenges
As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Colombia has a wealth of natural resources. At the same time, demand for natural ingredients in cosmetics continues to increase. However, exports of Colombian natural ingredients are limited. Much is still unknown about the available plants and their (potential) use in cosmetic products. Moreover, Colombian companies and stakeholders in the natural ingredients sector are keen to learn more about international buyer demand and market access requirements.
For this reason, we are excited to support the C+C programme to tackle these challenges. Jolanda, Gustavo and Lisanne are strongly motivated to support the three projects to access the European market. At the same time, they aim to tackle bottlenecks on the sector level as well, to have a larger impact in Colombia.