Capsum and iFarm Launch Sustainable Vertical Farming R&D Project to Create Innovative Cosmetics
Marseille (France), Helsinki (Finland)
Scientific cosmetics manufacturer, Capsum (France), and agricultural technology company, iFarm (Finland) have signed a cooperation agreement and are set to launch a cutting-edge farm-laboratory to enhance the creation of innovative beauty products.
As part of a pilot project, a small farm-laboratory using iFarm technologies will be built inside the existing R&D site at Capsum’s plant in Marseille. The leading microfluidics cosmetics manufacturer only uses natural ingredients to create its products and will evaluate the potential of large-scale cultivation of plants in a closed environment as an environmentally sustainable, safe and predictable growing method.
The on-site installation of an iFarm laboratory will enable scientists to cultivate plants free from pesticides and other harmful chemicals and facilitate the year-round production of high-quality microfluidic cosmetics ingredients.
The Marseille farm-laboratory will consist of four rooms: an engineering room, which will house an automation control system, and three growing rooms. Plant growth and technical controls at the scientific mini-farm will be monitored using iFarm Growtune software.
Alexey Novokreshchenko, iFarm Automation Director:
“We’re excited to create a universal farm-laboratory for Capsum, where it will be possible to grow almost anything – microgreens, flowers, plants – suitable for the production of microfluidic cosmetics. The farm-laboratory will also provide the ideal environment for creating, testing and experimenting with new ‘plant growth recipes’, available via the iFarm Growtune IT platform.”
Now, iFarm specialists are preparing equipment for the engineering room, with the vertical structures and technical equipment for the growing rooms to be delivered to the Capsum plant in the first quarter of 2022.
Anthony Briot, COO Capsum:
“Capsum uses only natural ingredients to create its beauty products. The company plans to build its own industrial vertical farm in order to produce environmentally friendly raw materials all year round.”
As well as growing plant ingredients for its cosmetics, Capsum will use the farm-laboratory at Marseille as an R&D platform. Here, Capsum will develop and experiment with new ‘plant growth recipes’ for its revolutionary skincare products.
Kirill Zelenski, CEO of iFarm Europe:
“We are very pleased to launch our partnership with Capsum, which is known for its innovative approach to cosmetics production. Our team believes that vertical cultivation technologies are exactly what’s needed in an industry where the quality and environmental impact of ingredients is extremely important. iFarm is pleased to support Capsum in this groundbreaking endeavour and looks forward to a fulfilling and exciting partnership.”
Company Information
About Capsum (France): Capsum is a large research and production start-up founded in 2008 in Marseille (France). The key direction of the company is the research, development and manufacturing of microfluidic cosmetics for skin care. Microfluidics is a branch of science that studies fluid management at a microscopic level. Thanks to this revolutionary technology, Capsum creates cosmetics that are highly penetrating and, therefore, more effective than conventional cosmetics.
About iFarm (Finland): iFarm is an international technology development company specialising in solutions, platforms and innovative tech for plant growth and agricultural production in a controlled environment. Founded in 2017 with headquarters in Helsinki (Finland), iFarm has operational and in-construction farms in Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the CIS, with a total cultivation area of more than 18,000m2. One of the company’s products is Growtune, a cloud-based IT platform that provides automated climate control to optimize growing conditions for fast and abundant crop maturation on vertical farms.
iFarm technologies are recognized worldwide: the project is included in the TOP 500 food startups of the world and is a member of the EIT Food Accelerator Network; iFarm also became the best agricultural startup in Europe in The Europas Awards 2020. In 2021, iFarm received a Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label that certifies environment-friendly technologies that have proven to be profitable and economically viable.
