Givaudan has reached an agreement to acquire the cosmetics business of AMSilk GmbH. The deal is a part of Givaudan's 2020 strategy to expand the capabilities of its Active Beauty business. Terms were not revealed at press time.

AMSilk, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is the largest industrial supplier of vegan silk biopolymers. The company's high-performance biopolymers are used in hair care and skincare, and the company has filed 10 patents for the use of biopolymers in cosmetic applications.

AM Silk's Silk Beads, for example, deliver a soft-focus effect to smooth the skin, while also providing moisturizing benefits. 

Maurizio Volpi, president of Givaudan’s Fragrance Division, says, “The acquisition of the cosmetics business of AMSilk fits very well our long term strategy for Active Beauty. It offers an expanded portfolio of natural and bio-sourced products supported by a strong research and development biotechnology platform to drive future development and innovation in the active cosmetic ingredients space. Their expertise in biotechnology is fully aligned with ours; it will reinforce Givaudan’s capabilities in cosmetic ingredients to support our customers in developing sustainable, performant and safe products.”

Jens Klein, CEO of AMSilk, comments, “We are honored that Givaudan is acquiring our successful cosmetics business to further expand internationally to reach even more consumers around the world with our functional biopolymers.”

Laurent Bourdeau, head of Givaudan’s Active Beauty Business says, “The AMSilk technology is unique and will allow us to enlarge our portfolio of products by developing bespoke polypeptides. The products are bio-sourced and the processes are fully sustainable, which contributes nicely to our ‘A Sense of Tomorrow’ sustainability approach. It is fully in line with our ambition to fulfill the growing consumer demand for ‘Clean Beauty’ products.”