“Consumers want to know where products originate and why specific ingredients have been selected,” says Taru Laitinen, Head of Product Development at Berner, at the outset of the interview.
Laitinen leads the cosmetics development team, focusing on meeting the expectations of even the most discerning customers. She specializes in natural cosmetics and is responsible for developing product lines such as Pure=Beauty and Murumuru.
Berner, a long-standing partner of FoodFarm, is a Finnish family-owned company with a rich history. Its product range includes many beloved consumer brands like XZ and LV. Berner operates across several sectors, including consumer goods, healthcare, agriculture, and industry, primarily in Finland and the Nordic countries.
In sourcing the hempseed oil raw material from FoodFarm, Berner collaborates with the Finnish company Flinkenberg, whose Chemicals business unit’s largest customer segment is the cosmetics industry.
Domestic Sourcing, Responsibility, and Simple Ingredients
According to Taru Laitinen, Berner is particularly interested in locally sourced ingredients. When the company began exploring the potential of hempseed oil in cosmetics, FoodFarm was the obvious choice.
“What fascinates us about hempseed oil is its fatty acid composition,” says Laitinen, “which many of our customers hold to high regard.”
Oilseed hemp contains essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in a unique and optimal ratio, which is beneficial for both the body and skin. In cosmetics, hempseed oil stands out for its naturally occurring gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a rare compound with many health benefits.
“What fascinates us about hempseed oil is its fatty acid composition, which many of our customers hold to high regard.”
Hempseed oil-based products are featured in Berner’s Pure=Beauty line. Developed to meet strict eco-certification criteria, this line offers simple yet effective skincare products with nothing unnecessary added.
Growing Awareness of Personal and Environmental Well-Being
Pure=Beauty products that feature FoodFarm’s hempseed oil include the versatile Arctic Treatment Oil and the serum-like Youth Booster, for which hemp was selected for its high GLA content. Finnish customers can find these products in major retailers such as Sokos and Stockmann.
“The inspiration behind the Pure=Beauty products is straightforward,” Laitinen explains. “Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their own well-being as well as the health of the planet. We believe that responsibility should not merely be a slogan; it must be evident in how products are developed and the sources of their ingredients.”
Seamless Collaboration
For Laitinen, the most interesting thing about oilseed hemp products is the traceability of the production chain and the ecological responsibility of the production. Oilseed hemp is cultivated without chemical pesticides and absorbs atmospheric CO₂ up to twice as effectively as trees.
FoodFarm’s Finnish hempseed oil has successfully met Berner’s standards for quality, traceability, and expert collaboration. Through contract farming, the production process is entirely traceable, right down to individual fields.
However, Berner is not content with just meeting current expectations; the company is looking to the future. The growing demand for natural cosmetics and the increasing interest in versatile raw materials, such as oilseed hemp, opens up new possibilities.
“We are genuinely interested in expanding our collaboration beyond hempseed oil to include other hemp-derived ingredients. Product development won’t stop here,” Laitinen concludes.
Interested in oilseed hemp? Get in touch with us— you’ll receive high-quality hemp ingredients and expert support for your product development!