The new wild in African botanical science

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Combining science, traceability and co-creation to support global cosmetic formulators.

Geneva / Cape Town – Velden™, a new entrant to the cosmetic ingredients market, has launched a portfolio of science-standardised African botanical actives designed to address a persistent industry challenge: inconsistent quality and limited documentation of botanical ingredients.

Developed over 15 months, the portfolio comprises 6 formulation-ready actives across 3 innovation platforms, combining African botanicals expertise with biotechnology to deliver high-performance actives with improved reliability and traceability to formulators.
The launch responds to growing pressure on brands to substantiate ingredient claims with robust scientific data and traceable sourcing. Velden provides formulation-ready systems with verified composition, stability, and comprehensive technical documentation – all areas where African botanical supply chains have often fallen short.

The company operates through a dual-market structure: a Geneva, Switzerland base aligned with European regulatory requirements, and Cape Town, South Africa operations focused on sourcing and manufacturing. This structure combines proximity to raw materials with rigorous quality standards, scientific validation, traceability and supply chain transparency, and enables collaborative development with client R&D teams.

Built to solve African botanicals’ supply chain problem

“The African continent is home to some of the most powerful botanical resources used in cosmetics and personal care. But the industry doesn’t need more botanical ingredients; it needs better ones,” says Mary-Ann Venter, Managing Director of Velden and a long-standing executive in global ingredient markets.

Drawing on her 17 years’ experience at Givaudan and Nestlé, she set out to address a long-standing weakness in the commercialisation of African botanicals, many of which are still supplied in unrefined or insufficiently standardised forms. “Global formulators need ingredients they can trust, which requires consistent quality, scientific validation and robust documentation, with a stronger focus on usability. That’s the gap we’re solving,” Venter says.

Supply chains are often fragmented, with extraction, refinement, and testing taking place across multiple locations. This creates challenges such as batch variability, limited transparency, and regulatory complexity. Velden was founded to address these constraints by developing scientifically validated botanical actives closer to source, combining botanical expertise with plant science and biotechnology, supported by responsible sourcing and full traceability.

Next-generation African botanical actives

Velden’s initial portfolio spans several innovation platforms including AxRose™ for barrier repair and protection, RubyM™ for pro-aging, NatSol™ for sun protection, and TriAct™ for targeted skincare, each targeting specific botanical profiles and formulation outcomes. The company’s current focus is on African biodiversity, with plans to expand into additional regions as new botanical pipelines are developed.

The launch centres on the AxRose™ platform, featuring three formulation-ready ingredients: AxRose™ Trielle, a multi-oil blend of Sclerocarya birrea (Marula), Rosa canina (Rosehip), and Rosmarinus officinalis leaf oil, designed to repair skin barrier function and lipid replenishment; AxRose™ Maruline, a Sclerocarya birrea (Marula)-based ingredient developed for stability, skin feel and ease of formulation; and AxRose™ Rosaline, a Rosa canina (Rosehip)-based ingredient that improves skin damage from environmental stress.
These are complemented by a broader range of leaf, stem, and flower extracts including Kigelia africana, Myrothamnus flabellifolia (Resurrection Plant), Acmella oleracea (Paracress), Citrullus lanatus (Kalahari Melon), Aloe ferox (Cape Aloe), Pelargonium graveolens (Rose Geranium), and Vachellia karroo (Acacia).

Velden applies proprietary functional ingredients and formulation technologies to develop formulation-ready systems that enhance stability, sensory performance, traceability, and batch-to-batch consistency.

Velden also supports co-creation with customers, working closely with formulation teams to develop tailored actives aligned to specific performance targets.

Beyond product development, Velden prioritises responsible sourcing, ingredient safety and supply chain integrity, with a focus on sustainable harvesting and ecosystem protection.

Unlocking the future potential of African botanicals

Looking ahead, Velden plans to expand its portfolio, building new botanical pipelines while deepening its scientific and manufacturing capabilities. The objective is to establish emerging botanicals from Africa and beyond as trusted ingredients in mainstream cosmetic formulation.

“Many African plants have been used for generations, but are only now being explored through modern scientific research. Bringing them to a global audience demands a higher level of consistency and validation,” says Venter. “Our role is to bridge heritage and science to deliver reliable, high-performance actives and position African botanicals as trusted ingredients in global cosmetic formulation.”

For more information, visit: www.veldenbotanicals.com

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ABOUT VELDEN

Velden is an innovative, science-led botanical ingredient manufacturer developing high-performance, formulation-ready botanical actives for the global cosmetics, flavour and fragrance industries.

To ensure alignment with European regulatory requirements while still maintaining a strong operational footprint, Velden operates with a dual-market structure. A Geneva, Switzerland base and operations in Cape Town, South Africa. This allows the company to combine deep botanical expertise, robust testing and agile manufacturing to deliver standardised ingredients that meet high standards of performance, consistency and regulatory compliance.

Velden focuses on developing high-performance botanical actives that directly influence product efficacy, sensory performance and consumer experience. Each ingredient is optimised for real-world formulation and supported by a regulatory-compliant dossier, including stability data, technical documentation, efficacy testing and scientific validation.

Velden’s integrated approach connects responsible sourcing, biodiversity protection, full traceability, extraction, technical evaluation and customer co-creation into a more controlled botanical ingredient value chain. This helps address long-standing challenges in botanical supply, including batch variability, limited transparency and regulatory complexity.

By working with communities in biodiverse regions, prioritising responsible sourcing and creating in collaboration with customers, Velden is redefining how botanical ingredients are developed and positioned globally, shifting from raw materials to evidence-backed, performance-driven botanical actives that brands and consumers can trust.

For more information visit https://veldenbotanicals.com/

Media Contact:

Angela Barter, The PR Agency
angela@thepragency.co.za, +27 73 284 4432

VELDEN BIOS

Mary-Ann Venter, Managing Director of Velden Botanicals

Mary-Ann Venter is the Managing Director of Velden Botanicals, a science-led natural ingredients company developing high-performance African botanical actives for the global cosmetics industry.

With more than a decade of experience across global flavours and fragrances markets, she has held senior roles at Givaudan, Nestlé and IFFCO, most recently serving as Commercial Director for Southern and East Africa at Givaudan, where she led regional strategy, growth and cross-functional teams.

Her international experience exposed a critical gap in how African botanicals are brought to market, often exported as raw materials with limited local value addition and scientific validation, which can limit the ability to meet global industry requirements. Velden was established to address this by combining scientific validation, traceability and formulation-ready development, enabling African-sourced ingredients to meet global standards for performance and trust.

Mary-Ann is driven by a broader vision to elevate Africa’s role in the global ingredients industry by ensuring more of the innovation, expertise and value creation takes place within the continent.

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Lucija Karlovic, Lead Scientist, Velden Botanicals

Lucija Karlovic is the Lead Scientist at Velden Botanicals, where she is responsible for the scientific development and validation of high-performing African botanical active ingredients for global cosmetic applications.

She holds a Master’s degree in Food Science and Technology from the University of Copenhagen and brings a multidisciplinary background spanning R&D, product development and technical roles across international markets, including Givaudan and research institutions in Europe.

At Velden, she is responsible for designing delivery systems and compounds using high-performing actives validated by efficacy evaluation, analytical characterisation and performance in end formulations. Her work focuses on delivering consistent, reproducible and scientifically substantiated ingredients that meet global regulatory and commercial standards.

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