NSTDA and The Thai Cosmetic Cluster (TOS) has recently joined forces to strengthen innovation capacity of the cosmeceutical industry in Thailand.  The agreement signing took place on 31 October 2023 at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI).

NSTDA President Prof. Dr. Sukit Limpijumnong introduced NSTDA’s FoodSERP as a comprehensive platform designed to provide a one-stop service for food & functional ingredients. This platform will be a key driver of this collaboration. FoodSERP brings together expertise from various departments within NSTDA to put research into practice, enabling research to make socio-economic impacts. Particularly, FoodSERP aims to unlock the potential of Thai biodiversity to enhance the competitiveness of the Thai functional food and cosmeceutical industries.

Prof. Sukit highlighted the state-of-the-art infrastructures that constitute a wide range of services offered by FoodSERP. The BIOTEC Bioprocessing Facility (BBF) offers functional ingredients production, while the Nanoparticles and Cosmetics Production Plant provides broad services regarding cosmetic production, including, trial small scale production for product test analysis or market survey, large scale production, and industrial scale production with the ASEAN GMP Cosmetic standards. Additionally, a broad range of testing services ensures the quality and safety of products. Overall, this collaboration is set to enhance the competitiveness of Thai cosmetic producers on the global stage, which is an integral concept of the government’s Bio-Circular-Green Economy (BCG) model and speedy economic recovery.

NSTDA Vice President Dr. Kalaya Udomvitid remarked that the health and beauty sector has evolved significantly in recent years, resulting in a diverse array of product demands. To meet these growing needs, this collaboration aims to harness the knowledge and expertise of NSTDA FoodSERP to enhance innovation capacity of the Thai cosmetic sector, especially in the area of functional ingredients which are the main contributors to products’ benefit. The services offered encompass product and process prototype development, pilot production, production process scaling, quality and safety testing, clinical testing, market testing, and product registration. This comprehensive service will not only enhance the competitiveness, but also increase revenue for companies, thereby contributing to economic development in the Thai cosmetic industry.

TCOS President Ms. Lucksupa Prapawit stated that the partnership with a world-class research organization such as NSTDA will help advance the Thai cosmetic industry to new heights and ensure its sustainability.

“While the Thai cosmetic industry has enormous potential and a bright future, it is facing major challenges, including 1) competition with foreign cosmetics manufacturers with better technology and marketing strategies, 2) adapting to diverse standards and requirements, and 3) responding to consumer preferences for eco-friendly and healthy products. Embracing advanced technologies such as AI and big data analytics to provide market intelligence, as well as utilizing biotechnology and nanotechnology to innovate novel and unique products will form the key strategies to bring our industry into a sustainable future,” Ms. Lucksupa concluded.

Following the signing ceremony, a seminar on “FoodSERP for Sustainable Health and Beauty” was held, featuring speakers from the industry and NSTDA, including BIOTEC Executive Director Dr. Wonnop Visessanguan, FoodSERP Director Dr. Kobkul Laoteng and Dr. Udom Asawapirom, Director of Nanoencapsulation Research Group.