2021 Sustainable Beauty Trends: Why sustainably sourced natural ingredients for cosmetics are more important than ever

2021-11-25T09:41:13+00:00November 25th, 2021|Tags: , , , , , , , |

  We’ve asked our consultants Nicolás Caso and Jolanda van Hal to share the main sustainable beauty trends of 2021 and why sustainably sourced natural ingredients for cosmetics are more important than ever. In this article, the two consultants share the main 2021 trends, how sustainability certifications are becoming essential to succeed in international markets, and how to meet the growing demands of international buyers. 2021 Sustainable Beauty Trends: Why sustainably sourced natural ingredients for cosmetics are more important than ever 2021 has also been an important year in terms of sustainability in the cosmetic sector. Sustainable sourcing [Read more]

Project update: Market entry expert for value chain work on black cardamom

2020-10-28T07:36:06+00:00October 28th, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , |

Our work as a market entry expert for the project “Improving the incomes and nutrition outcomes of rural poor in Northern Kayin State” has come to an end. Workshop in Thandaunggyi township Scope of the project This project not only aimed to improve the nutritional status and WASH conditions of these farmers but also focused on improving their incomes. With the objective of improving the farmer's incomes, the project supported them to “step-up” and improve their position in agricultural value chains. ProFound´s role was to provide support as a market entry expert. We focused on black cardamom, and [Read more]

Impacts of COVID-19 on the natural ingredients for cosmetics market

2021-11-25T07:10:13+00:00June 18th, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Not a homogenous impact within the cosmetics industry: The coronavirus pandemic has forced nearly one-third of the world’s population into lockdown. During this time, consumer demand for cosmetics has decreased in general. However, if you take a closer look within the segments some are booming! While decorative cosmetics experienced a dip in demand, essential oils, hygiene and skin care segments are thriving as consumers try to improve their immunity. But what are the impacts of the COVID-19 on the natural ingredients for cosmetics market? In Europe, where the COVID 19 outbreak has made most of the victims in March [Read more]

Focus on one of the key trends in natural ingredients for cosmetics: Sustainable beauty

2021-11-25T07:24:15+00:00June 18th, 2020|Tags: , , , , , |

Sustainability remains key for European buyers of cosmetic ingredients. The same goes for consumers. European consumers are more informed about issues such as global warming and environmental threats. This trend has led organic, vegan, fair-trade, sustainable and ethically sourced cosmetics to become more mainstream. A review of Science Direct in 2019 concluded that sustainability impacts occur through all phases of a cosmetic product’s life cycle. But selection of raw materials deserves more attention as information on this topic remains scattered and diffuse. A situation that is still relevant in 2020. COVID-19 as a disruptor of the market The COVID-19 [Read more]

Workshop with farmers and traders in Myanmar to find alternative cardamom markets

2020-03-20T15:26:12+00:00March 20th, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , |

Cardamom producers in Myanmar are facing challenges in accessing markets. Their main market is China, but, in recent years, prices have been dropping significantly. ProFound is supporting these producers and traders to find alternative markets. For that purpose, our consultant Jolanda van Hal travelled to Myanmar to prepare them for participation at international trade fairs. Preparing cardamom traders for trade fair participation Jolanda gave a training to the Multi-Stakeholder Platform created by SNV in the project “Improving the incomes and nutrition outcomes of rural poor in Northern Kayin State”. This training focused on different aspects related to trade fairs [Read more]

Workshop in Myanmar to develop market access for cardamom and turmeric

2020-01-14T08:18:02+00:00January 14th, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , |

A project to fight rural poverty through selected value chains End of November ProFound's team members Bert-Jan and Geertje visited Myanmar to train the Multistakeholder platform (MSP) for cardamom and turmeric. This MSP has been established by SNV under the project “Improving the incomes and nutrition outcomes of rural poor in Northern Kayin State”. That project was implemented by a consortium of CDN-ZOA, World Concern Myanmar, CORDAID and local partners since 2016 in Thandaunggyi township in Kayin State. The project is amongst others helping the rural poor to “step-up”. It aims at improving their position in selected value chains, [Read more]

Meetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina to support Foreign Trade Chamber

2019-12-10T13:19:40+00:00December 5th, 2019|Tags: , , , , , |

Supporting the Foreign Trade Chamber to develop market intelligence This week, our senior consultant Kasper Kerver is in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for a meeting organised by the Foreign Trade Chamber (FTC) for the medicinal and aromatic plants sector. This meeting is part of a bigger project in which ProFound is active; training and supporting the Foreign Trade Chamber in BiH to improve its services to its members. During the meeting, FTC presented results of the market research on the essential oils market in the United States that they have worked on since May with ProFound's support. The research [Read more]

Building our expertise for coffee and cocoa sectors

2023-10-12T09:27:06+00:00November 27th, 2019|Tags: , , , , |

We shared earlier this year that CBI chose ProFound to conduct their new market intellingence on coffee and cocoa sectors. An essential part of our coffee and cocoa market intelligence work for CBI is to gather first-hand information. For instance, we collect the market information through company visits and events. Visiting companies in Switzerland Lisanne Groothuis and associate consultant Gustavo Ferro went to Switzerland in November to visit companies active in coffee and cocoa sectors. Our consultants spoke with representatives of Pronatec, a sustainable sourcing company specialized in cocoa and other ingredients. They also met with micro-roaster Röstlabor, one [Read more]

Training the Foreign Trade Chamber in Market Analysis

2020-03-04T10:06:25+00:00June 5th, 2019|Tags: , , , , |

Did you know that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has various promising products to offer to the global market? The Foreign Trade Chamber (FTC) in BiH is making sure that people around the world are aware of the opportunities that the country has to offer. Such as its range of essential oils. ProFound, through the trade promotion programme of our partner SIPPO, supports Foreign Trade Chamber. The aim is to improve the services of FTC to its members. Delivery of Market Intelligence will be a new service to help FTC's members find the best match between market needs and their [Read more]

ProFound wins World Bank tender: Developing Economic Clusters in Eastern Indonesia

2019-04-16T12:04:08+00:00May 2nd, 2017|Tags: , , , |

ProFound won a World Bank tender, together with our Indonesian partners Setara Foundation and several experts from the Gadjah Mada University. In the coming six months, we will develop strategies for innovative clusters of economic activity with key Eastern Indonesian agricultural products. This is one of our activities in Market Analysis (see our Solutions page for more information). “Together with our partners, we have unique expertise in adding value to agricultural production and identifying Indonesian potential products for export markets, as well as in SME development. Our recommended strategies will bear relevance for both the national and international context.” – [Read more]

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