A vertical farming laboratory, which will allow a French company to produce herbs for organic cosmetics, has been officially opened.
The cutting-edge farm laboratory, which grows plants in vertical layers in a controlled environment, is based at Capsum’s existing research and development site at its plant in Marseille.
The laboratory is a joint project with iFarm, a Finnish business that develops software and hardware for vertical farming and hydroponics.
The facility will enable Capsum’s scientists to cultivate their own high-quality ingredients for new cosmetic formulas.
Using iFarm technologies for vertical farming, Capsum will grow a range of crops, including microgreens and flowers.
The research farm is controlled by software which will provide the scientists with the tools and data needed to optimise plant growth.
“Indoor growing is perfect for the beauty industry, as it allows us to cultivate in a fully controlled environment, free from pesticides and any harmful chemicals.
“iFarm’s technology fits the needs of our researchers, since they are able to vary a wide range of parameters,” Anthony Briot, chief executive of Capsum, explained.
The pilot laboratory consists of the automation control system, and three growing rooms with experimental racks based on Ebb-and-Flow hydroponics technology.
This allows Capsum to conduct experiments, test new plant varieties and streamline its supply chain with pesticide-free cosmetic ingredients being grown on-site.
The company is currently researching innovative extraction methods from microgreens.
iFarm’s vice-president of sales, Timo Koljonen, outlined that the potential benefits of indoor farming for cosmetic companies go beyond the laboratory setting.
“With iFarm, clients can start with an R&D project and then scale it up to industrial production of herbs, flowers and microgreens, with full hardware and software support along the way.
“A crop that is stable and predictable year-round, as well as guaranteed to be free from any potential contamination by pesticides or other harmful chemicals, would be also beneficial for larger production volumes,” he added.