This is a fabulous reward for Gattefossé, which has made innovation a pillar of its growth by conducting a coherent and long-term industrial property strategy.
The INPI Trophies: recognition of French innovation
Created in 1991, the INPI Trophies [National Institute of Industrial Property] reward emblematic companies of French innovation that stand out for the exemplary nature of their industrial property strategy.
This year, the Trophies honour fifteen SMEs and start-ups, which compete in 5 categories: Export, Industry, Responsible Innovation, Partnership Research and Start-up. The jury for the 2022 edition is chaired by Bernard Reybier, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fermob, the company that won the Trophies in 2013.
"Intellectual property has always been at the heart of our business. It began over a century ago when my great-grandfather filed our first patents in the 1920s. Since then, we have developed a structured process that allows us to protect our innovations while sharing our know-how, a very important notion for the company.
Receiving the INPI Trophy today is an honour and a recognition of the efforts made by our research teams over the years. We are happy and proud to reap the benefits of this teamwork" explains Ségolène Moyrand-Gros, Gattefossé Group President.
An industrial property strategy to protect and perpetuate its ideas
Gattefossé’s innovation policy is based on two pillars:
- Internal research, carried out at its Saint Priest site (near Lyon) and in its application laboratories in India, China and the United States by engineers and doctors in pharmacy, chemistry and biology.
- Collaboration with public or private research centres abroad.
This strategy enables the company to carry out a wide variety of research topics, which feeds its portfolio of potential new products and enables it to respond quickly to market needs.
"The fields of application of our products concern cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, but the know-how linked to them is varied. This includes chemical synthesis, plant extraction, indepth analysis, various pharmaceutical dosage forms and many cosmetic formulation.
Our innovation strategy and the patents we file therefore encompass all these areas of expertise. Having a strong industrial property strategy is therefore essential if we are to be well protected. We systematically file patents for all our new ingredients and technologies, after a study of the freedom-to-exploit, and in all the countries that are key to our business. It is important for our customers, as a guarantee of quality and durability of our products » says Jean-David Rodier, R&D Director Oleochemistry.
To date, Gattefossé has a patent portfolio of 18 families and 195 trademarks protecting products, manufacturing processes and applications for its two markets. The patents cover key countries such as France, Germany, the UK, the USA and China.
Innovations in ingredient development
Last April, Gattefossé launched a new natural plant active for the cosmetics industry, the result of a collaboration with a research group specialising in the study of the effects of genotoxic stress.
The product was rewarded by the industry at the 2022 in-cosmetics global trade show with the Bronze Innovation Award, in the best ingredient category for cosmetic actives.
Gattefossé was also one of the first suppliers of cosmetic ingredients to patent a technology based on hydrophilised plant waxes, a technology that allows it to offer its cosmetic customers textures with unique sensoriality. This innovation has also been recognised by the industry with numerous innovation awards.
In pharmaceuticals, last year Gattefossé developed a new oil phase stabilising agent in bi-gels, which was selected as a finalist in the «Finished Formulation» category at CPHI Worldwide.
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