The profile of Brazilian agriculture as source of raw material to obtain organic cosmetics

With one of the most notable floras in the world for sustainable research, the Brazilian Amazon region currently counts on financial incentives from the Brazilian Government for private national and foreign businesses. The ongoing implantation of a Biocosmetics Research and Development Network (REDEBIO) aims to stimulate research involving natural resources from the Brazilian states that make up the zone defined as “Amazônia Legal”. The objective of this region, still under development in Brazil, is principally to aggregate value to products manufactured in small local industries through the use of sustainable technology currently being established. Certain certified raw materials already included in the country's sustainability program, have also begun to be cultivated according to the requirements of organic cultivation (Neves, 2009). The majority are species of Amazonian vegetation: Euterpe oleracea (Açai), Orbignya martiana (Babaçu), Theobroma grandi-florum (Cupuaçu), Carapas guianensis (Andiroba), Pentaclethra macroloba (Pracaxi), Copaifera landesdorffi (Copaiba), Platonia insignis (Bacuri), Theobroma cacao (Cacao), Virola surinamensis (Ucuuba) and Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nut). These generate phytopreparations, such as oils, extracts, and dyes that are widely used in the manufacture of Brazilian organic cosmetics with scientifically proven topical and capillary benefits. In the final balance, Brazilian organic cosmetics should continue to gain force over the next few years, especially with the regulation of the organic cosmetics market that is being drafted by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. Moreover, lines of ecologically aware products that provide quality of life for both for rural and metropolitan communities show a tendency to occupy greater space in the market.