Milking it! NZ dairy based acne treatment attracts global interest
The team at Hamilton-based Quantec believe their product is a 'world first' in acne treatment, in that the formulation features the same substance that mammals produce to protect themselves from bacteria.
Managing director Dr Rod Claycomb breaks down the concept; "The bioactive enzymes and proteins in our Epiology anti-acne cream are essentially the same actives that all mammals produce to protect themselves from potentially harmful bacteria and other microorganisms."
Claycomb explains that it's these protective enzymes found in the saliva, tears, the gut and raw milk that this company chose as a key ingredient in a product that has taken his R&D team seven years to develop.
Taking the concept global
Despite a lengthy development stage, the 'Epiology' cream has quickly seen success in New Zealand, and is now attracting attention on a global level.
“Epiology sales exceeded our expectations [in 2014], so we have partnered with Mexican distribution partner, Fenrir Business Development SA de CV (FBD), in a bid to gain market share in Mexico,” the MD revealed.
Claycomb says the rationale behind targeting the Mexican market is that 80 to 90 per cent of the population has been affected by acne before the age of 21, and 44 per cent of acne sufferers are seeing a dermatologist.
“Dermatologists in Mexico are also very product-oriented, deriving about a third of their income from selling branded derma products. That’s why initially launching the product with dermatologists is so important,” says Claycomb.
Mexico is a good entry point to Central America...
The Quantec founder anticipates that Mexico will be a good entry point for Central America's markets and the rest of Latin America in time to come.
“As a small start-up company from Hamilton, we are proud to have developed a cream derived from New Zealand cow’s milk, and now that we have successfully launched in Mexico City, we are excited about our other international opportunities in the pipeline,” he concludes.
