Natural Plant Products has completed construction of a 125 square foot cosmetics applications lab at their Salem,OR headquarters. The lab will allow development of guide formulations incorporating NPP’s unique range of vegetable oils as well as facilitating further research.
The lab represented a sizeable investment said CEO, Mike Martinez. “This was a big deal for a co-op of our size,” he continued. “But, since our charter is to market and sell as much of our members’ product as possible, shortening the gap between harvested oil and end-product development and manufacture directly supports that mandate.”
As part of this expansion, contract formulator Joan Kappes of Kappes Consulting was tasked with a long list of guide formulations to complete this year. Having recently contracted third party research on both the oxidative stability of NPP’s flagship Meadowfoam Seed Oil (MSO) and a sensory panel on both MSO and NPP’s up-and-coming Daikon Seed Extract, Kappes is very conversant with both products’ unique properties and how to leverage them effectively.
“The recent studies have underscored how Meadowfoam Seed Oil can effectively extend the shelflife of products blended with other less stable natural oils,” said Kappes. “That opens up possibilities for really stable, naturally-based formulations. And both MSO and Daikon Seed Extract’s unique textures will be key in developing a range of formulations that we think will be of interest to K-Beauty formulators.”