Cosmetic Innovation

Time Natura Campus

A challenge was defined: to succeed in producing at least 16 metric tons of Pataqueira, a typical plant of the Amazon wetlands, for launching a new range of products for the Ekos line.

Pataqueira essential oil: a combination between technique and Amazon traditions

Pataqueira essential oil: a combination between technique and Amazon traditions
 
A challenge was defined: to succeed in producing at least 16 metric tons of Pataqueira, a typical plant of the Amazon wetlands, for launching a new range of products for the Ekos line. There was no defined system of production until then and Daniel Oliveira was assigned to deal with it. He is an agronomist engineer who operates in Natura’s Bio-agriculture area, which belongs to the Advanced Research Board, and accounts for making feasible for Natura to use plants with cosmetic potential, based on the development of growing techniques, forest management and others.
 
The traditional and mild essence of Pataqueira triggered, back in 2007, the interest of Natura’s official perfumist, Verônica Kato. At the time, studies with the plant were carried out and the innovation area produced the Pataqueira essential oil, which was approved in all the tests and certification processes required. However, at that moment, Natura lacked the necessary knowledge needed to produce the plant in large scale. Daniel accepted the challenge to develop the production chain of the Pataqueira essential oil, which he knew wasn’t going to be easy.
 
The year was 2012 and Daniel had already heard about Natura’s will to use Pataqueira essence in its products. The plant, original from the Amazon rainforest, is one of the ingredients of banho de cheiro (scented bath), which is a tradition in the typical popular celebrations like São João and carimbó  that take place in the city of Belém, State of Pará. Many plants and herbs are soaked in a washing-up bowl in order to release their release essential oils. The scented water resulting from this process is placed at the entrance of the parties and made available for those who want to smell good and attract good vibrations.
 
The obstacles started with cultivation. Pataqueira is a plant that grows in the margins of Amazon streams, in soils flooded with water. These areas are regarded as permanent protection areas, which mean they should remain untouched and growing anything there for economic purposes is forbidden. “We needed to produce the necessary volume and quantity of the plant to launch the product and maintain the line. And, to do so, we had to find ways of growing this almost aquatic plant in areas that weren’t its natural habitat”, Daniel sums up.
 
To achieve this goal, the agronomist engineer resorted to the partnership with and knowledge of the local communities.
 
A new way of growing, as a group
 “According to local traditions, fire is used to plant Pataqueira. The vegetation that margins the streams is burned and, after this, the plant is sown. We had to find a new way of doing it, without using fire, chemical inputs and in a distant location from the water streams, which are protected areas.” 
There were other fundamental aspects to take into account. It was necessary to grow the plant in the same season as it grows in nature, taking advantage of the rain and lower temperatures of the Amazon winter, minimizing, therefore, possible differences in the fragrance and chemical composition of the plant, which could make impossible to carry out the project.    
 
After taking into consideration all of these aspects, the initial step was to find families willing to take on this challenge with Natura. The first community visited was Boa Vista, in Acará, located in the outskirts of Belém. They already had a partnership for supplying Priprioca and Capitiú, two active ingredients used in the Ekos line. Out of the 35 families that belong to the community, seventeen accepted to take part in the project and help developing a new technique to plant Pataqueira.
 
The combination of local knowledge and agronomy techniques showed results. Tests were made with irrigated beds, far away from the streams. “We grew the plant in different ways simultaneously. Some techniques were proposed by me and others by the community in order to develop and define a combined growing system. This entire process was managed collectively and through trial and error new paths were discovered until we finally succeeded.”
With the system in his hands, Daniel started seeking people to help in the production. “We realized that the families who had first agreed to take part in the project wouldn’t be able to produce the volume we needed. Furthermore, we identified that our partners had a more extractive and less farmer profile, so we needed further assistance in our production. “
 
The second community visited was in Santo Antônio do Tauá, also located in the outskirts of Belém. People there were used to growing different types of vegetables and already were Natura’s partners for supplying Priprioca, Estoraque and Capitu. At this stage, the new growing system had already been defined, the only thing needed was to refine it and offer guidance. This time, twelve out of forty families of the community decided to participate. They were offered guidance regarding the type of fertilizer and amount of water that should be used to achieve the best results, as well as on how the earth should be prepared. Besides, all the information gathered from the research studies carried out in the first stage of the project was made available for them.
 
“The effort of technicians and locals produced results and we achieved our goal, which was to produce 16 metric tons with chemical composition and smell characteristics identical to the original plant. This enabled Natura to launch new products for their current lines and also develop novelties for 2016. “We made it. We produced for Natura perfumery an essential oil that is exclusive, original from Brazil, produced through an agroecological and organic system.” Daniel celebrates.
 
A new active ingredient for Natura, a new opportunity for communities
 
The project that developed the production system for Pataqueira, was such a success that its essential oil became one Natura’s active ingredients, produced in such quantities that it could be even be used in future lines of product. The local communities got even more involved in the project and, currently, all the families from Campo Limpo and Boa Vista are working with Pataqueira. “We kept a technical guidance team in the communities to assist the families that still had doubts about the growing process to ensure the quality of the entire chain”, explains Daniel.
 
The work to develop a system to grow Pataqueira brought important benefits. Besides being very efficient, it attracted 100% of the families from the two communities, leading to a reduction in the growing cycle from six to three months resulting in an increase by 60% in the performance to extract the essential oil.
 
Today, Pataqueira, which was only found in the margins of water streams, integrates the daily lives of the producers and gives new shapes to their traditions. “One of the communities has a group of women who sing and dance carimbó, a typical music rhythm from the state of Pará. They composed a song celebrating the plant, which is played in the group’s concerts and typical parties. It’s something really beautiful”.
 
 
Learn more!