Eurofins buys Australian Dermatest

Sunscreen and skin care expansion ​

Making the disclosure on 29th August 2017, Eurofins Scientific — which has a group of international laboratories — will build upon its experience providing analytical testing services to pharmaceutical, environmental and consumer product industries to raise Dermatest’s profile in both Australian and Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets.

Dermatest was established in 1997 and is the leading sunscreen and skin care evaluation laboratory in Australia. Both the laboratory and John Staton, the company’s CEO, are globally recognised for their “active role in the definition of International Sun Protection Standards”​, Eurofins announced in a recent press release.

"Apart from providing Eurofins with a very good entry into the cosmetic testing market in Australia, Dermatest will allow Eurofins to become the worldwide reference in sunscreen testing, increasing our portfolio and strengthening our current expertise and capabilities in Europe,”​ said Yann Agustin, Eurofins consumer products testing, Managing Director South Europe.

"We are eager to contribute to Dermatest development position in its market, as well as expanding the portfolio of tests it offers to customers by offering the full range of services and capabilities of the Eurofins network,”​ Agustin went on to say.

Food and skin protection connection​

This is Eurofins’ second recent acquisition. Food and agroscience testing services firm, Eurofins Scientific, purchased independent agroscience testing laboratories, Japan Analytical Chemistry Consultants (JACC), along with food testing laboratory, Ecopro Research.

With accreditation from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), JACC focuses on chemical testing by leading its GLP pesticide residue laboratories for agrochemical-registration.

Ecopro has also received accreditations from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) and MAFF. It offers food testing services, pesticide residue testing, nutrition analyses, and microbiology testing. This acquisition is strategically located in Shizuoka, Japan - the largest tea-producing area in the country.

“The acquisitions of JACC and Ecopro have a good strategic fit with Eurofins’ existing food and agroscience testing businesses and will help to expand our offerings in Japan. These acquisitions will reinforce the Groups’ growing footprint in Asia Pacific,”​ emphasised Dr. Gilles Martin, Eurofins CEO.

As the industry crossover between food and cosmetics strengthens​, Eurofins latest acquisition of Dermatest represents its move into the sunscreen protection and skin care sectors.

Industry takeover​

On 30th August 2017, Eurofins revealed that its revenues have risen 15.6% to €1,397mn in the first half of the year.

Commenting on this increased, Dr. Gilles Martin, CEO, Eurofins stated: “The progress made in H1 2017 reflects the hard work that has been done to expand our unique network of laboratories, both organically and through an acceleration of M&A.”​

This year, Eurofins has opened 30 start-up laboratories which Martin reported: “represents over one-third of the 87 that we have now opened since the beginning of our third start-up programme in 2014”. ​