Encoding Beauty: the point of view of... N&B Natural is Better

The company behind the “product” component of Encoding Beauty, the production line that at Cosmopack 2023 will demonstrate the advantages of track and trace applied to the cosmetics sector, is N&B Natural is Better, the Benefit Corporation committed for 30 years to the production and research of organic cosmetic solutions.

Appreciated for its high quality and ethical standards, bringing product and social innovation to the territories in which it operates – in celebrated Salento - N&B stands out for the sustainability of the production chain: a growth model supported by constant research into new solutions and the application of advanced technologies along the entire supply chain, from cultivation to the shop shelf.  

Its story was presented at ItaliaImballaggio by Domenico Scordari, founder and CEO of N&B Natural Is Better which, since 2016, has also been a BCorp with a mission that focuses on a clear idea of sustainability: “people and planet first”.

«The project - begins Scordari - highlights the fact that we are among the few companies in the sector to follow a zero-kilometre production concept for the entire supply chain, from plant to beauty. We have developed a production system which is strongly oriented towards quality, tracked at every step and consistent with the concept of the company project: regenerative beauty that involves every aspect, from production to consumption, passing through R&D and supply».

In line with its BCorp status, N&B perceives the consumer as the recipient of a clear message, in which the concept of beauty affects every step of production, aiming at guaranteeing wellbeing, quality and safety, central themes of the Encoding Beauty project.

Regenerative Skincare

The Aloe vera of Salento is the protagonist of the Encoding Beauty 2023 project, a plant that has now been considered as native for over 20 years in a territory that has a favourable climate, thanks to the exposure to two seas and to the regenerative farming model used by N&B. It’s an approach that affects the quality of the crop, on the resulting product and on the territory in which this occurs, applying a sustainability and social concept, as well as an economic one.

«The continuous R&D work of our N&B Laboratories - explains Scordari - allows us to give the product an “identity card”, highlighting its ability to act in a personalised way on the different compositions of the skin microbiota, which is different for each of us. This approach goes well beyond the usual categorisations such as, for example, dry or oily skin.

Aloe of Salento is “microbiota friendly”, able, therefore, to act as a barrier, to bring balance and wellbeing to the skin, contrasting ageing, skin rashes and irritations.

The terrain where we grow our Aloe, if abused, loses richness and becomes unproductive. The same reasoning has been taken into the world of skincare, starting from the regenerative farming method which we apply in our fields, to develop a business model that focuses on regenerative beauty».

Comparing it with similar products deriving from traditional crops, a number of specialist studies have demonstrated that aloe of Salento produces a percentage of active ingredients 4.5 times greater than the average of the products present on the market.

«It’s a result that underlines the advantages of a wellbeing approach that starts from an extraordinary beneficial plant that is then enhanced by our expertise and passion; in addition, there is the aspect of cold production: a process that makes it possible to maintain the active ingredient perfectly intact. At Cosmopack we will therefore see a multitasking product, in the form of a cream and a very particular texture that also acts as a serum».

Protecting the consumer

«Traceability is fundamental for protecting the transparency of the company and the safety of the consumer» continues Scordari. «There is considerable investment in technology in the skincare sector, increasingly focusing on pharmaceutical standards. It’s an area that we are also approaching, with investments for which the first results can be seen in a new factory that will start operating in the next few months. The aim is to guarantee maximum quality standards also with track and trace which, among other things, plays and important role in terms of brand reputation. Encoding Beauty brings these values ​​into play, transmitting to the consumer also the importance of the origin of a product: the transparency and credibility of each operator along the supply chain are at stake».

Trace and certify

Scordari adds that N&B develops personalised cosmetics solutions in over 60 countries in the world, strengthened by an absolutely priority element, that is, the quality and traceability both of the raw materials and of the formulations developed.

«Reinforcing the concept of a quality supply chain, N&B is Uni En Iso 9001 and ISO 22716 (GMP) certified. In addition, it has obtained Ecosmetica certification from ECOGRUPPO ITALIA and NATRUE and clinical tests are carried out in a university context for a further guarantee of the safety and protection of the consumer. Given, however, that for us – points out the Founder – traceability means personally governing every phase of production activity (cultivation, harvesting, extraction, stabilisation of the active ingredient, formulation, quality control and filling), we then arrive at a tailored product that is tracked many times in different stages of the process, always putting the strong commitment to Research & Development first.

«We are very proud to be a partner of the CosmoFactory 2023 project. We would like to thank not only Cosmoprof for having involved N&B for the formulation and product process aspect, but also our partners Induplast Packaging Group and Antares Vision Group, central to the cosmetics supply chain for packaging and digital identity.

Although the collaboration with Antares Vision is set to intensify, we are convinced that the human factor is still a winning factor, because it adds to procedures and data the ideas of our employees and partners. This, obviously, takes nothing away from vision systems, that can support the beauty sector in consolidating perceived quality» and continues, «Track and trace technology accompanies people, whose role remains essential, allowing them to work better. A slightly imperfect label can, in fact, escape the human eye, something which doesn’t happen with the machine. In other words, the consumer will never have a cap closed badly or a label that is not legible, thereby reinforcing the concepts of reliability and transparency that raise the value of the brand and of the product».

«As regards traceability, quality control remains one of the most important aspects. I could refer, in particular, to micro-biological controls, very important for the safety of the final consumer.  In this regard, N&B has set up an internal laboratory, Quality procedures with a wide range of certifications, and has full control over the origin of the raw materials and also the final product and the packaging. These aspects, which reduce risks to zero, strengthen, at the same time, also the company’s image and the concept of transparency. We have no negative feedback from the market, which gives some idea of the level of responsibility that we have assumed, not only with respect to the product, but also in the relationship between product and packaging, on which track and trace can, as I pointed out earlier, provide an important contribution».

Visions of sustainability and enterprise

«Well before becoming a Bcorp, we defined a company mission that reads “People and Planet First”» Scordari explains. «This means no production choice and action must cause damage to people and the planet, but make the concept of a sustainable and regenerative approach central to company growth. This implies attention to emissions, to the impact of production on the people that live in our territory, who for us are very important, as an integral part of our concept of sustainability».

Domenico Scordari’s idea of enterprise, moreover, is that of an orchestra, with a conductor able to bring together the best elements to construct an extraordinary whole.

This is why in addition to the concept of sustainability, there is an important word which is far removed from the fast economy: durable. It is a concept that extends to relations with the 75 workers all linked to the territory, to business relationships, to the half-life of the products. This approach earned the Bcorp company recognition as Best for The World in 2021 and 2022 in the Environment & Biodiversity category, which measures the tangibility of the impact inside the team, the community and the context in which the company operates.

«The principle of “durability” which guides our choices allows us to follow the correct direction, giving full substance to the concept of regenerative business, which starts from the plant and arrives at the transport system or the sticky tape that close the carboard boxes, with the objective of protecting a product that brings well-being over time».