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Custom active development

Your raw material. Our technology. Your exclusive active.

From your botanical resource to a differentiated, documented cosmetic active — developed with Ultrasevum™, our patented eco-extraction platform.

Discuss your project Discover Ultrasevum™
From botanical resource to proprietary active

Unlock the value of your plant material.

Arboretum Ingredients supports brands, ingredient suppliers and innovation teams who want to turn a plant, a local species, a co-product or a distinctive biomass into a documented cosmetic active.

We do not sell a standard protocol: we build the process around your raw material and your cosmetic objective.

Botanical raw material being assessed in the Arboretum Ingredients R&D lab

Distinctive plant or plant part

Unlock the potential of a unique botanical material.

Co-product / upcycling

Turn a secondary resource into a value-creation opportunity.

Local or proprietary resource

Build an active anchored in a traceable origin and supply chain.

Targeted biological profile

Guide development toward a cosmetic target to be evaluated.

Ultrasevum™ platform

A patented eco-extraction platform.

Ultrasevum™ combines ultrasound-assisted extraction with plant sap used as a natural phytosolvent. It is designed for natural cosmetic actives, traceability and formulation compatibility.

Ultrasound
Cavitation accelerates the release of intracellular compounds
Plant sap
A functional, natural extraction medium
<40°C
Mild conditions to help preserve thermolabile compounds
Solvent-free
No petrochemical organic solvents

The Ultrasevum™ platform and its associated process know-how remain the property of Arboretum Ingredients. Learn more about the technology

Ultrasevum ultrasound-assisted extraction using plant sap
Structured R&D

From feasibility to active candidate.

Each programme is built from work packages selected for your raw material and your cosmetic target.

The programme is modular: only the work packages relevant to your project are activated.

Scientific review & target definition

Botanical review, markers of interest, safety and regulatory considerations.

Extraction screening

Multiple trials varying extraction medium composition, ratio, duration, temperature and ultrasound parameters.

Analytical characterisation

Appearance, pH, dry matter, yield, total sugars and polyphenols, targeted HPLC or other instrumental analyses when relevant.

Selection & processability

Filtration, clarification, handling and process robustness.

Stability

Preliminary stability under several storage conditions.

Biological screening

Depending on the target: antioxidant activity, skin-ageing-related enzymes, brightening, soothing or other relevant pathways.

A progressive development path

Four phases, with Go / No-Go decisions.

You decide at each milestone whether to move forward, based on the data obtained.

Phase 1

Feasibility / Proof of concept

  • Extraction screening
  • Initial analytical ranking
  • Shortlist of candidates
Go / No-Go
Phase 2

Optimisation & validation

  • Advanced characterisation
  • Stability
  • Biological screening
  • Formulation compatibility
Go / No-Go
Phase 3

Substantiation

  • Cell-based / ex vivo studies
  • Safety / tolerance package
  • Targeted clinical study if justified
Go / No-Go
Phase 4

Scale-up & industrial transfer

  • Pilot-scale reproducibility
  • Filtration / stabilisation
  • Industrial parameters
  • Techno-economic assessment

A complete proof of concept is typically planned over a few months. The exact duration depends on the raw material, the analytical depth and any external studies. Each programme is scoped and quoted individually.

Proven approaches

Already applied to complex matrices.

Examples of R&D programmes. These programmes run under confidentiality: we describe the approach, never the client or the outcome.

Case A

Agri-food co-products

Development from agri-food co-products; hydrophilic / lipophilic extraction screening; phytochemical characterisation, biological activity and stability; next step toward pilot scale and skin models.

Case B

Overripe fruit (upcycling)

Comparison of several extraction conditions and hydrophilic / lipophilic media; HPLC-DAD profiling and seasonal variability; selection of a birch-sap-based hydrophilic route and a synergistic combination of plant parts.

Case C

Premium botanical active

Targeted scientific review; around ten extraction trials; tiered analytics from rapid screening to targeted quantification of finalists; processability, stability and biological screening.

Cosmetic 360 Awards 2024

Winner — Manufacturing Process category

Awarded for the Ultrasevum™ technology.

3
Patent applications published
3
Actives launched since 2024
Deliverables & framework

A documented active candidate — and a clear framework.

Deliverables

  • Laboratory samples of the selected extract(s)
  • Experimental plan and extraction conditions
  • Analytical and biological datasets
  • Stability and processability observations
  • Final technical report with conclusions and recommendations
  • Final results presentation and technical discussion

Confidentiality & intellectual property

  • Projects can be conducted under NDA.
  • Client-supplied materials and project information remain confidential.
  • The Ultrasevum™ technology, the underlying process know-how and background intellectual property remain the property of Arboretum Ingredients.
  • Ownership, exclusivity, patentability and commercialisation rights for project-specific results are defined contractually, according to the collaboration model.

Need an active reserved for your brand or your market?

We define the scope of exclusivity together.

Talk to our R&D team
Let's discuss your project

Could your next raw material become your signature active?

1Share your raw material and your ambition
2We propose a feasibility plan
3We launch the programme under confidentiality
Let's discuss your project