The SFC, 1 500 members strong, has embarked upon the mission of encouraging and promoting scientific studies in the field of cosmetology and contributing to the improvement of its members; it achieves this latter objective by conducting scientific symposiums, organizing trade shows, conferences… Every two years, it awards a prize to a prominent personality for services rendered to the field of cosmetology.
On 26th November 2014, Jean-Yves Berthon, President of the Greentech Group, was awarded the most prestigious award of the French Society of Cosmetology (SFC – Société Française de Cosmétologie).
The profession pays tribute to the journey of this pioneer
A pioneer in the field of vegetable biotechnology at a time when going “Green” was not yet a trend, let alone an actual concept, Jean-Yves Berthon, who was a young 32-year-old doctor of biology at the time, founded Greentech in 1992 with a different and committed vision.
A few decades later, he governs a group consisting of 3 companies, dedicated to the fields of vegetables, marine life and microorganisms: Greentech, Greensea and Biovitis. The Group develops and produces innovative active ingredients for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and functional food; these ingredients are obtained from complex plants, algae, micro-algae and microorganism mechanisms from all over the world.
With over 100 employees, the group has an annual turnover of almost 20 million Euros, 80% of which consists of cosmetics markets (and also pharmaceuticals and functional food), half of which are exports and it works in collaboration with the global leaders, with its subsidiaries in the United States, Germany and Brazil, and 30 distributors.
Greentech, a constantly evolving Group, on the path of innovation
The key to its success?
Its cutting edge research: 20% of the annual turnover is dedicated to R&D, along with one third of the workforce. Half of these employees are doctors in various scientific fields.
Innovation is omnipresent, and it is this innovation, which makes the difference by combining the fields:
– Sourcing: researchers travel to the four corners of the world, tracking down active molecules, on lands, in oceans and even in the clouds. From the desert to the equatorial forest and the Poles, they have discovered 300 000 bio-active molecules!
– Development processes based on ultra-sophisticated technologies that transform natural ingredients into active substances (generally reserved for the pharmaceutical industry): transcriptomic studies about the complete genome, bio-informatics with molecular modelling.
– Greentech has extended its innovations even to the field of production, with a patent for cryo-extraction of fresh plants, which completely preserves the integrity of the molecules.
More than 1 000 active substances and 3 000 extracts, which meet skin and hair-care requirements, with proven efficiency based on in vivo and in vitro tests. Greentech has launched the first flower acids, breast-firming agent, anti-hair regrowth agent, DNA protection, cellular cycle regulator, and so on.
Several patents, quality certifications as well as awards bear testimony to the quality of Greentech Research: It is the first company to receive Ecocert and ISO 22716 certifications; it also possesses Natrue, AFSSAPS and GMP certificates.
Greentech organises the SPIM (Skin Physiology International Meeting), which is a dedicated forum for renowned scientific experts and young researchers to gather and discuss ideas.
A green and ethically committed company, striving towards beauty and well-being
Sustainable development and fair trade are concepts embedded in Greentech’s genes: the first company to commit to this approach, Greentech works for the preservation of rare and threatened species all over the world, and has entered into long-term partnerships with local communities in more than 20 countries around the world, from the heart of Auvergne to Peru (Inca Inchi oil), Burkina Faso (baobab oil) or Madagascar, through fair and reciprocally beneficial relations.
The company dedicates a part of its turnover to this cause every year.
Greentech protects the environment by adopting the specifications of eco-friendly chemistry for the entire development process.
Beyond the human aspect, this SFC award is dedicated to an extraordinary Group, which relentlessly works and contributes towards scientific progress in the field of skin care.