The botanical approach to sourcing requirements

This change involves sourcing issues of plant starting materials and is, by definition, very different from that of synthetic substances. Although access to information of exotic plants from various regions of the world is relatively uncomplicated, this highly diversified sourcing nevertheless must be integrated into a relatively complex, global policy. The path generally followed involves the identification of active molecules and associated mechanisms of action, and requires costly studies to demonstrate efficacy and a lack of toxicity that in some instances do not provide the expected results. The necessity of marketing “renewal” is such that the lifetime of a cosmetic active substance is very short compared to therapeutic or dietetic plant products. This requires making the right choices to ensure a return on investment. This does not include the fact that, before setting up a supply chain for the production of plant starting materials, several criteria must be fulfilled, or at least taken into account and evaluated. This is because commitments to development programmes not fully controlled generally lead to failure that could help discourage future attempts. This contribution to sourcing policy will first address important “upstream” aspects of the industry’s search and selection process for natural ingredients with cosmetic potential. This will be followed by requirements related to agriculture and/or collection practices, providing a number of guarantees required for the quality and traceability of the material. The last point involves placing the accent on social and environmental responsibility.

Bio-prospecting

Before production, at the stages of search and selection, several points deserve a mention, in particular criteria enabling the company to orient its choice of novel natural products adapted to the profile of active substances that it wants to develop. It is first to be noted that the cosmetics industry prefers plant substances for which there is considerable experience in use. This explains the importance of studying traditional pharmacopoeias, whether scientific such as Chinese and Ayurvedic compendia that have been constituted over the course of centuries; or pharmacopoeias of societies with an oral tradition whose better understanding has been provided by the work of ethnobotanists and ethnopharmacologists. This “bio-prospecting” pays special attention to inventorying plants used as topical application for body care, in part used to assist healing, as emollients, antiinflammatories, etc. Attention is also paid to the chemotaxonomic originality of plants that increases the chances of finding new molecules. An exhaustive literature search is imperative for each plant species considered in order to establish a chemical and pharmacological profile not only of the plant but also of the different extracts that can be obtained from it. Other factors are of course involved in this process: industrial property and competition, reliability of supplies that implies considering how the plant starting material is obtained and seasonal limitations, or the possible existence of a market for a given species. In reality, the supply of crude plant starting materials may assume several forms. Some companies prefer ensuring sourcing by in-house procedures, while others concentrate on their core business of extraction and development of products, considering that culture and/or collection is an activity that should be outsourced. Regardless, when a product considered interesting is found by a cosmetics company, whether it is a supplier of active substances or final formulator, most often it is the company that organises the supply chain, generally in the framework of private bilateral commercial relations. It remains to be considered and assessed the toxicological risk of a natural product intended for cosmetic use. French and European regulations prohibit or limit the use of a number of plants or ingredients in cosmetic products. The absence or reduced levels of potentially toxic products in herbal extracts must be determined. This explains the prohibition in France of using poisonous, dangerous, narcotic and psychotropic substances, as defined in article R 5132 of the French Public Health Code, and, at a European level, products classified as CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or reprotoxic) as defined in Appendix VI of EC Directive N°1272/2008 concerning the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, except if a waiver is granted. The presence of other constituents such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids, furanocoumarins or molecules known to be allergens or sensitising compounds, is not desired because of risks of possible toxicity or harmful adverse effects they could cause. The question related with the ecological status of vegetal resources and the social and environmental impact that could result from their harvest has to be addressed. Recommendations related to culture and collection of plant starting materials have received sustained interest for several years, especially for medicinal plants. The system implemented for plant-based medicines is a relatively precise regulatory framework defined by Directives or Recommendations from European and other international organisations such as the European Medicines Agency or the World Health Organization. These good culture and harvest practices are summarised in two documents: For Europe, by the “Guideline on Good Agricultural and Collection Practice” of the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency (2006) Outside Europe, by the WHO Guidelines on Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for medicinal plants (2003). In reality, these regulatory frameworks applied to medicinal plants can also be usefully employed for supplies of starting materials destined for non-medicinal uses. This is because the above-mentioned documents are partly based on preparation work conducted by the EUROPAM (European Herb Growers Association) that drafted an initial document entitled “Good Agricultural and Wild Collection Practice of Medicinal and Aromatic (Culinary) Plants” in 1998. This document included all plant starting materials and their derivatives, used and marketed in Europe, usually designated by the acronym MAP (Medicinal & Aromatic Plants). The general principles of these directives can be broken down into four major areas: identity, quality and hygiene, regulatory compliance and environmental responsibility.