Agricultural by-products have great potential for alternative ingredients. The founders of the start-up Gaia Tech have recognised this and developed a process with which valuable antioxidants can be extracted from the biomass left over after pressing olive oil. These are used in cosmetic products with an anti-ageing effect. The CosmeticBusiness editorial team spoke to Claudio Reinhard. He is one of the founders of the start-up alongside Dr Enrico Tenaglia and Samuel Bühlmann.

1. What motivated you to found Gaia Tech?

While travelling in Spain, I saw with my own eyes how large quantities of olive pomace cause environmental problems. I launched the EIT Food project "Phenoliva" and led it at ETH Zurich from 2019 to 2022. This research project with a consortium of 8 partners from 5 different European countries was at the origin of the start-up Gaia Tech. The partners covered the entire value chain, from the primary sector to product development and application. Our main goal was to extract more value from olive pomace. We developed a process with which we can now extract high-quality antioxidants from the raw material.

2. How are you changing the industry with your product?

Consumers are increasingly focussing on sustainability and naturalness, and at the same time the legal requirements for ingredients are also increasing. Cosmetics therefore increasingly require additives that are not only effective, but also environmentally friendly and harmless to health. This development is part of a wider trend towards greater transparency and responsibility towards the environment and consumers. We want to support brands and companies that are moving in this direction with our product innovations.

3. What advice would you give to start-ups?

There are so many recommendations and it's easy to get lost in them. It's really important to never lose sight of the connection between customer needs and product development. And to always approach the daily challenges with a lot of energy and quality awareness.

The start-up Gaia Tech can be found in Hall 4, booth F01.8.