In Taiwan, agricultural technology is blazing new trails in the sector, and researchers have developed one product after another: rice soap, fish-scale collagen and seaweed skin cream. During the process of creating top-of-the-line cosmetics, scientists have shown the potential of agriculture as a high-value industry.
Taiwan's cosmetics market is valued at US$1.8 billion a year and is growing by 3 percent annually. The government has also targeted the cosmetics industry for promotion under its "Challenge 2008 National Development Plan." Biotech and nanotech companies, as well as individuals, are jumping on the cosmetics bandwagon, enamored with the industry's potential.
The Agricultural Research Institute under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture began to research alternative uses for rice in 2000. After experimenting for five years, it came up with rice soaps made from the bran and germs of three kinds of rice: golden rice, purple scented rice and giant embryo rice. Produced entirely from plant matter, the cosmetic soaps are in step with environmental trends.
The nutrients in rice are well-balanced. Rice germ holds ample amounts of vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids, while the bran has high concentrations of protein. The ARI researchers discovered that rice germ and rice bran are effective at cleansing, moisturizing and softening the skin. This encouraged them to develop rice shampoos, bath gels and soaps. After thousands of experiments, rice soap became the first ARI cosmetic product to be sold to Taiwan consumers.
"The technology isn't difficult," said Wu Jung-pei, an assistant researcher at the ARI's Chiayi branch. "What's important is extracting the raw material, and then adding seeds of Job's Tears, peas and other plants according to set proportions." The ingredients, the proportions and the processing temperature are the keys to success or failure. Wu visited factories that made cosmetics for foreign companies, coming to the conclusion that many use chemicals without having a complete understanding of their long-term negative effects on the skin. Consequently, Wu and his fellow researchers decided to go the natural route.
Biotech has given the cosmetics industry a boost. Since 1990, when the notion of "biotech cosmetics" first appeared, it has led global cosmetics into a new era. Along with the rise of preventive medicine, health maintenance has grown rapidly, and the field of cosmetics has turned its emphasis toward antioxidants and aging.
Collagen is a prime example. A hot item in the field of cosmetics over the past few years, collagen is a connective tissue containing heparan sulfate, a major component affecting the suppleness of skin and muscle.
The Fisheries Research Institute of the COA has been extracting collagen from fish scales discarded by the tilapia fish industry. The FRI has manufactured several collagen-based skincare products including a lotion, serum and skin-refining cream. In 2005, it applied for a patent on the process with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The FRI is also preparing to invite public bidding on the process to turn it over to the private sector.
Wu Chwen-herng, chief of the FRI's Seafood Technology Division, noted that fish scales are made up of more than 50-percent collagen and fish-scale collagen is around 95-percent pure, much higher than collagen extracted from cows, pigs and chickens. Japan, Germany and France are the only other nations that have successfully extracted collagen from fish. Marketed skincare items containing it cost several hundred U.S. dollars for a small jar.
There is at least a 100-year history of sea resources being used in cosmetics in the West. Seaweed mud, for instance, has long been used as a facial cream. Every year countless tourists flock to the Dead Sea, where they coat themselves in its black mud and salt, hoping to relieve stress and improve their health. In Japan, cosmetics made with clean deep-sea water are invariably among the most expensive. These are all examples of the appeal of cosmetics and skincare products using natural marine resources.
Some 500 varieties of seaweed are found off the rocky coasts of Taiwan. In recent years, the FRI and National Taiwan Ocean University in Keelung have researched potential uses of seaweed. The FRI pointed out that seaweed contains ingredients that invigorate cells and function as antioxidants. Compared to imported seaweed, Taiwan's seaweed is of high quality and low cost. The FRI has created moisturizers, buffing gels and facemasks from extracts of red alga, also known as rhodophyta, combined with aloe vera and gingko.
Chen Jung-hui, a professor of nutrition at NTOU, explained that the key to a cosmetic's effectiveness lies in how well the skin can absorb it. "For cosmetics to be effective, there must be a delivery system that allows the cosmetic to penetrate the skin," Chen said. In discussing how to get rid of blemishes, he stressed that when pigment-producing cells in people's skin are exposed to ultraviolet light, it triggers a complex chemical reaction that causes dark spots. Water-soluble vitamin C applied on the surface of the skin is not easily absorbed into the skin's pores. It is necessary to use phosphate lipid spheres that the water-soluble active ingredient can adhere to.
Once the problem of absorption is resolved, the next step is to find local ingredients. "Currently the vast majority of the ingredients used in Taiwan's biotech cosmetics are imported," noted Chen. "If the industry is to build a strong foundation here, then we ought to start using local raw materials, especially since Taiwan, with its high mountains and deep seas, has excellent natural conditions." Chen uses Chinese herbal medicines in cosmetics, as well as seaweed extracts.
Among these, Gracilaria, an inexpensive red seaweed, is viewed by the FRI and NTOU as a possible savior for Taiwan's aquaculture industry. On land, there is also a green vine that has the same name as Gracilaria in Mandarin. After the FRI announced the launch of Gracilaria-based cosmetics, it was surprised to see a television news report on Gracilaria in cosmetics that featured a sponge gourd instead. It was only then that they realized there was not much understanding about Gracilaria.
Taiwanese fish breeders commonly use Gracilaria seaweed to feed their abalone crops. Only a few years ago, breeders raised abalone along Taiwan's coasts, but the shellfish mysteriously started dying. At the time, quite a few people blamed Gracilaria for this, so its market price plummeted.
The FRI originally wanted to encourage people to buy Gracilaria again. When the agency pushed the seaweed cosmetics research plan, it discovered that Gracilaria had many advantages, as it can protect against ultraviolet light and creates healthy skin.
Taiwan is one of only a few countries that produce Gracilaria. Wu said that using Gracilaria in cosmetics with deep-sea water from Taitung's coastline may increase its value by over 1,000 times. Taiwan produces more than 30,000 tons of Gracilaria a year, selling for US$0.12 to US$0.15 per kilogram. Once it is turned into cosmetics, manufacturers hope to sell its extract for more than US$30 per kilogram.
Agricultural and aquatic raw materials have been transformed into products with significant revenue potential. The COA publicly solicited bids from outside parties for several of its agricultural technologies related to skincare. In July 2005, a patent for rice soap was sold for US$15,000 to the farmers' associations of Caotun and Wujie townships. This was the first product that consumers saw.
Cosmetics are high-profit goods and they pose fewer risks than plastic surgery, which is highly intrusive. The global market for cosmetics reached US$118 billion in 2000, according to estimates by the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute. In Asia, skincare products make up about 40 percent of the market.
Fish and agricultural items have traditionally been low-price items. Today, with the help of biotech, fish scales can be turned into high-quality cosmetics and rice can be used in soaps. The fruits of Taiwan's agricultural biotech research are beginning to have an impact on cosmetics. Whether or not the local cosmetics industry can make good use of ocean resources and turn fish scales into profits has yet to be seen.
--The preceding is an abridgement of an article that appeared in the September 2005 issue of Sinorama, edited by Taiwan Journal staff.
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