Certified organic cosmetics from Istanbul

After two years of preparation, Semih and Neylan Dinler (picture) are about to take a crucial step. After investing a great deal of time and money in creating their very sophisticated cosmetics range consisting of 32 products, they have now reached the point where it is essential to develop marketing channels. What is so special is the fact that they have had all their articles certified organic by Ecocert, which is a costly process. But now Semih Dinler has a relaxed smile on his face. The documentation required for certification (about 2,000 pages) is complete, and deliveries to the first shops have begun. He is now looking for partners in Europe to open up the market.
Everything was ready on 6 October 2009. The first bio-cosmetics with the “Rare Blossom” label appeared on the shelves in two Boyner stores and four Beymen shops. As well as checking the organic content of the products, Ecocert inspects the processing methods, the product packaging and the outer packaging. “All the procedures were hugely expensive in terms of time and money,” comments Semih Dinler. But, as he points out, with that number of organic cosmetics and skincare products, he is probably the leader in Europe. The new range consists of, for example, massage oils, sun protection oils, tanning oils, foot balsam, handcream, body lotion, skin peeling products, cleansing milk, anti-ageing cream and baby oil. The main ingredients are grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil, St. John’s wort oil, sesame oil and walnut oil. (Picture above: the first products leave the warehouse)

The company, that trades under the name STG, produces a range of foods in addition to its cosmetics line. The aim is to process organic raw materials from Turkey for the trade and to market them under its own brand Yakatarla. Examples of what the company manufactures are tasty spreads, jars of spicy paprika (see the picture of filling by hand), dried nut and dried fruit snacks, jars of olives, grape kernel oil and olive oil.

It all began when they bought their own farm near Fethiye in the south of Turkey. “It was actually an ideal place to retire to,” says Dinler with a mischievous smile. At the end of the 1990s he started to produce olive oil and ethereal oils and to grow herbs on 70 ha. “But since there was no record of our land in the land registry, we weren’t able to get our production certified and so we couldn’t sell it as organic.” In February 2007, they acquired a four-storey building in need of renovation in Kücükköy in the north east of central Istanbul and set about bringing it up to standard for food processing. The couple soon became aware that they couldn’t do two things at once, so they gave up the farm. (Picture: Neylan (on left) and Semih Dinler in front of a picture of the farm)

In the last two years the Dinlers have concentrated on devising recipes, testing new ingredients for natural cosmetics and having the product range certified as it was created. “100 % of the cherry is used,” explains Mr Dinler. This one sentence encapsulates his whole philosophy, which he expresses with an inventor’s pride. When cherries are processed to make juice, jam and fruit leather strips, the stones are usually regarded as a waste product. Not so for Mr Dinler. He had the idea of crushing the cherry stones and using the oil in cosmetics. He does the same with rose-hip seeds, a waste product from making rose-hip jam. “I’ve watched birds descending on bushes to peck the seeds, and anything birds can eat is good for us too,” he says. It was reason enough to start examining cherry-stone oil and rose-hip oil and experimenting in his company’s own laboratory (picture). He establishes the characteristics of the components, considers how they could be used and combines various raw products for a range of applications. This is how he has developed 35 (!) different oils to be used as basic materials. He also has a large number of hydrolates that are waste products from the manufacture of ethereal oils. As well as known herbs, he uses less familiar types like Indian ginseng (Ajwaganda).

STG’s production of food currently encompasses, for example, vinegars from cherries, plums and peaches, carob molasses, dried fruits, fruit leather strips, spicy paprika spreads, sauces, powders and pickled vegetables, bitter orange jam and bergamot jam. These foods are produced on the first floor; cosmetics and body care products are manufactured on the second floor, where the office is also located. The storage facilities are on the ground floor. The top floor is used as a roof garden and is a space (80 m²), flooded with light, for training sessions. Outside, you can see aloe vera and various other plants that are used in experiments. They have put together a 200-page ring binder of documentation for training purposes. The STG team consists of 25 employees plus the two owners. (Picture: Snacks made from dried apple and nuts)

The company has found its own solutions for many issues and problems. All glass and plastic packaging leaving the premises is labelled with a glass laser printer. At STG they don’t consider ink jet printers to be suitable, because they have to be cleaned with solvents, and they don’t want solvents used in such a sensitive environment. Olive oil is stored in special containers with a height-adjustable lid, so that the oil does not come into contact with oxygen. When the olives are being harvested, Semih Dinler insists on quality too. He has devised a mobile press, so that his employees can begin pressing the olives as soon as they are harvested from the tree. (Picture on right: Oil press for various seeds like linseed and grape seeds)

A short time ago, STG was given an EU research grant of 200,000 euros (via a Turkish ministry) to develop a sun protection cream without chemical ingredients. Together with his laboratory manager (picture on left), Semih Dinler is currently working on an oil derived from seeds and containing an especially high level of antioxidants. The laboratory is equipped to the highest standard with the latest analysis technology, from gas chromatography and spectrometry to a meter to detect rancid contents. “We can carry out any investigation in-house,” says Dinler proudly.

For a number of years Semih Dinler has been collaborating with Rainer Plum, who used to work for Tautropfen and is now a consultant and managing director of New Ethics. He has helped and advised STG on the certification process. “It’s incredibly difficult to get organic certification,” reminisces Dinler. However, they reached the end of the long road in July 2009. All 98 raw materials had to be individually certified, and there are 12 – 15 pages of documentation for every single product. All the products were tested on 50 people by the Fresenius Institute to ensure there were no harmful side effects. A patch test has to demonstrate that the products have as little allergic reaction as water.

Ecocert examined who does the purchasing and how purchasing is conducted, how processing is carried out, with what machines, what analyses are available, and how storage, filling and packaging is managed. Whereas in the food sector organic certification extends to the production and the packaging process, in the case of cosmetics the composition of the packaging itself is investigated. The ISO standards 9001, 14001, 18001 and 22000 have to be followed.
(On right: Neylan Dinler with frozen raw materials)

Marketing at STG is just beginning to get underway. In the first instance, sales will be via the Boyner chain, that has 20 stores. The close connection with Boyner is explained by the fact that Neylan Dinler’s brother owns the chain and that she is a member of the board of Boyner. STG will also have a presence in the high-end Beymen clothing stores.

Selling via the internet is scheduled to start at the beginning of December. Sales of raw materials to other manufacturers and large-scale customers are already up and running, an example being the apricot kernel oil that is bought by massage practices. In 2010 the company will open a specialist shop for natural cosmetics in Istanbul. After experimenting for two years and creating relatively small-scale production, the time is now right to develop sales, and there could be real opportunities for selling STG products abroad as well.

About Semih Dinler: he changed careers – he didn’t start in the natural cosmetics sector but discovered his love for it through processing olive oil and ethereal oils. In 1978 he created the first production workshop in Turkey for sailing boats made from polyester, and by 1992 he was a representative for 42 companies in the sailing equipment sector. In 1998 he and his wife bought the farm in the south of Turkey near Fethiye, where he established an olive oil factory. It was the first one in that region.

Tip: www.rareblossom.com