INNOVATION

PRODUCT SAFETY

We guarantee the safety of the products and services we develop and sell. In accordance with our product safety policy, we test and guarantee the safe use of all our products, at the recommended doses and following the directions for use and under conditions of use that can reasonably be foreseen.

We have not carried out animal testing since December 2006 to evaluate safety and efficacy during the development phase of our products or exclusive raw materials. This decision is fully in line with our mission: to develop and market products and services that promote well-being.

We use the most advanced analysis techniques in the world, including computer models, research and continuous review of information published in international scientific literature and in vitro tests, which are also accepted by the international scientific community. In addition, we have a team of scientists working with state-of-the-art technology to make our analysisincreasingly accurate and efficient.

We have a Product Safety Committee (PSC) responsible for formulating strategies and guidelines for the safety of ingredients and finished products, and a Product Safety Directorate (PSD) responsible for ensuring the implementation of these strategies and guidelines. These two committees issue compulsory rules that must be followed by the entire organisation in order to guarantee consumer safety.

CORPORATE PRIORITY

At Natura Brasil, innovation is a corporate priority. Numerous projects are launched each year by the Innovation Department. 

We practice the principle of open innovation.
Our aim is to help the scientific community to engage in dialogue, bringing together researchers and research centres to promote well-being and encourage relationships. "We are moving from an age of individuality to one of fellowship, where people want to work together to do more things. Our role is not limited to providing a consumer product. Today, relationships are changing", says Denise Figueiredo, Director of our Innovation Centre.
The challenges go way beyond the development of new products and services. We have developed a sustainable system to produce palm oil, have called upon researchers to develop innovations in the daily lives of traditional Amazonian communities, and have created a virtual library of body care products with the aim of improving human relationships.

INVESTMENTS AND PROJECTS

Our strategy is to push the boundaries of INNOVATION to create new concepts and new products.
Innovation permeates our entire organization. It is evident in our commercial strategy, in the extraction techniques of our raw materials, in our production processes, in our logistics... and has to support our corporate objective of sustainable development.
Recently, innovation projects have focused on three main themes: studying well-being, sustainable technologies and cosmetic technologies.
In 2013, our investments reached R$ 181 million (€) or 3% of our net sales. Innovation also receives financial support from organisations such as Finep (Empresa Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos - Funding Authority for Studies and Projects), which released R$205.8 million in research and project financing for 2014 and 2015.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Each year, we invest between 2.5% and 3% of our net sales in science & innovation. In 2012, this investment represented a total of R$ 154 million, 5% more than in 2011.

Figures for 2011:

Investment Innovation: R$146.6 million

Share of turnover invested in innovation: 2.7%

Innovation index: 64.8%

Number of products launched: 164

PARTNERSHIPS

We have also partnered with Fapesp (Fundação de Amparo in Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo) to create the Centre for applied research into well-being. With an investment of R$20 million over a ten-year period, this scientific and technological research centre aims to evaluate the benefits of well-being in different areas, such as neuroscience, positive psychology, and psychometrics.
"The aim is to understand the cultural and social norms that will then be applied to new products, concepts and services", explains Luciana Hashiba, head of innovation and relations, stressing that the results will also be made available to public and private bodies to share, in line with our commitment to open innovation.

INNOVATION CENTRES

When we are developing an innovation, we often involve everyone concerned (e.g. universities, research institutes, testing laboratories, companies, external organisations, sales force, consumers, etc.). This allows everyone to have their say and to solutions by working together.
To improve our ability to respond to global trends, we have begun to make global connections in the field of innovation. Since 2012, we have been a member of the Media Lab consortium, a digital research laboratory at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston, USA. In Brazil, we continue to operate our World Research Centre in Cajamar (São Paolo), the largest in the field of cosmetics in Latin America, and NINA (the Natura Amazônia Innovation Centre) in Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon.

FORBES

Natura is ranked among the 10 most innovative companies in the world, according to the new ranking published by Forbes magazine. The ranking is based on a detailed study of financial results and the perception of the market, analysts, and researchers. Natura is ranked 8th and is the only Brazilian company on the list. Natura's Innovation Department in Brazil is made up of more than 300 people: biologists, pharmacists, engineers, sociologists, psychologists, and launches more than 100 new products per year. "Innovation is at the heart of Natura. It is evident in all of our company's activities, far beyond the products themselves. It plays a key role in our growth strategy and reflects our commitment to meeting the demands of our consumers." Gerson Valença, VP of the Innovation Department.