Best of science and ­nature

COSSMA: What made you join the cosmetics industry?

Dr Rainer Wohlfart, RW Creative Consulting: From the very beginning, phytochemistry and olfaction have always had a fascinating appeal on me. While I was working on my thesis, I came across ethnopharmacology and the sedative effects of low volatile compounds. Furthermore, I was impressed by a study which found that certain people had lost their minds but were still able to remember characteristic smells from their child-hood. Smells go directly and unfiltered into the amygdala which is one of the oldest parts of the brain in terms of evolution history. The effects of odours are something very archaic and very powerful. This fascinated me so much that I wanted to increase my knowledge about fragrances. This is also why I looked for industries where plants and smells play an important role – and this of course led me to the cosmetics industry! 

What were your major results when you studied the effects of essential oils on the central nervous system? 

It is well-known that fragrances have impressive effects. But these effects had never been measured in complex placebo-controlled psychophysiological settings while taking a bath. Our intention was to create a bath additive with a proven mood-changing effect. We designed several perfumes in accordance with traditional aroma therapy findings and compared their effects. The interesting result was that one of these bath additives had an outstanding effect. The effect was so significant that we decided to try to get a European patent filed on it. Obtaining this patent was quite a challenge and took more than eight years but finally, in 2016, the patent was granted. 

Of course, research in a medium-sized company cannot be an end in itself and it was very important for us that the product we launched which was based on the patented formula was a big success. The product was called Lebensfreunde and inspired us to do further research. 

We optimised our testing methods and evaluated more psychophysiological effects of our bath additives. In the end, we succeded in demonstrating significant psychophysiological effects as compared to a placebo, even for our shower gels, massage oils and body lotions. 

What were your major achievements at Kneipp? 

At Kneipp, I was always involved in R&D, in marketing and also in regulatory affairs. This is a challenge but matching these three different worlds create a big opportunity to push through creative ideas very quickly – and this is surely one of the secrets of the company’s success. 

The company has grown tremendously in recent years and so has its complexity. When I started 31 years ago, I only had one re-search associate. When I retired at the end of 2017 we were thirty in the R&D department. I have seen a large number of managing directors come and go. There was the change from a small family-run company to becoming a member of the Paul Hartmann Group. This is why it rather feels like having worked in many different companies, even though it was one and the same throughout my professional life. 

What have been your team’s most relevant R&D findings? 

We have discovered that formulas with a pH much lower than 5,5 are able to change the pathophysiological aroused skin pH of aged people (which can increase to almost around 7,0) to long-lasting physiological values. This could be a very simple way of preventing skin diseases of aged people. I am convinced that low-pH cosmetics have even more benefits which are yet to be explored. 

What have been the most important market challenges to the brand’s segments lately? 

Within the last ten years, Kneipp has had a tremendous success within its core market Germany. But growth within this saturated market is limited. The next step is to look for new opportunities internationally. The challenge is to serve the needs of foreign markets without losing our identity. The company is very special and has a unique philosophy to safeguard. 

What are the most important market challenges in personal care at the moment? 

First of all, the cut-throat competition in the German mass market. For the near-nature companies it is also the gap between what certified labels really are and what consumers think that they are. 

Customers associate natural cosmetic with „without chemistry“ and therefore consider them to be „safer“. We all know that this is not true. Certified natural cosmetics always involve a compromise with complex definitions of what is allowed and what is not allowed, varying from label to label. I am convinced that at least for the big brands the future will not be certified cosmetics in terms of the existing labels. Market figures show that the near-nature cosmetics category is presently growing more than certified natural cosmetics. Using sustainable raw materials wherever possible and story-telling about this kind of production is far more convincing. This is what I call „best of science – best of nature“. 

What are your favourite products of the brand and why? 

Kneipp’s foam baths and shower gels are my favourites because they reflect all our olfactory knowledge, in particular the Al-mond Blossom Oil Bath because it was one of my first projects and is still successful. I very much enjoy Revital Skin Care series because it is based on our findings about low pH. 

Will you keep being active in the cosmetics industry now that you have retired? 

I am not the kind of person to spend my time sitting on a park bench. I will continue the regulatory seminars which I offer in cooperation with various training providers and most of all I founded RW Creative Consulting. Throughout my professional life I dealt with both sides of our industry and I noticed that there is often a gap between the demands of the finished products industry and what the suppliers think they need. My new consultancy now offers solutions for both cosmetic and health care industries as well as for their suppliers: trend analysis, regulatory services and advice for a raw material or a final prod-uct from concept to launch. Along with this, I hope that I will find some more time for my hobbies which include trekking, mineralogy and archaeology and also for visiting essential oil productions at their origin. Currently I am preparing a trip to Madagascar.