Nutraceuticals

Forestwise Launches Refined Organic Illipe Butter

Forestwise, supplier of quality raw ingredients that are sustainably sourced from Indonesian rainforests, now offers organic- and Fair for Life-certified, refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) Illipe butter. The removal of color and odor from Illipe butter allows it to be used with minimal effect on the fragrance and color of personal care and cosmetics formulations. 

Forestwise’s RBD Illipe butter has minimal effect on the fragrance and color of formulations, yet delivers maximum benefits.

Theo Smits, Founder and CTO of Forestwise, shared, “Our line of RBD Illipe butter was created in response to manufacturers’ demand for Illipe butter that has little impact on the fragrance, color, and most importantly, the formulation of products. With this product launch, we not only broaden the appeal of Illipe butter as an ingredient, but also further our mission to stop deforestation by developing a market for valuable rainforest products.”

 

Pressed from the nuts of the Shorea Stenoptera trees growing in the forests of Borneo, Illipe butter has been used for centuries by locals to moisturize skin and heal sores and sunburns. RBD Illipe butter holds the same properties as Forestwise’s original line of Illipe butter, namely, its moisturizing efficacy and high melting point, that allows the butter to be applied in a wider range of formulations.

 

RBD Illipe butter contains only a negligible amount of free fatty acids, therefore, any possible chemical reactions with other ingredients in formulations is minimized. The low odor grade ingredient can also be used at higher concentration levels in body butters and other similar skincare products. Additionally, manufacturers that formulate with Forestwise’s RBD Illipe butter can include sustainability claims on their products, as the ingredient is certified USDA Organic, and Fair for Life and EU Organic by Ecocert.

 

New Appointment

As part of the company’s efforts to develop a market for effective, natural ingredients from the rainforest, Forestwise recently appointed Richard Eyles as Sales Manager. With decades of experience under his belt in developing sales of specialty oils for the personal care and other related industries, Richard will help the company to grow globally. He is based in the United Kingdom (UK).

 

Richard Eyles, Sales Manager at Forestwise

Speaking from his familiarity with the demands of the personal care market, Richard expressed, “I’m delighted to join a young company at the beginning of its journey. Forestwise holds sustainability at the heart of its values — our wild harvesting efforts help to prevent deforestation in Borneo by empowering the local people to protect their rainforest.”

Opening Doors for Local Villagers

Forestwise helps to maintain the wild rainforest by empowering villagers to protect and conserve what’s theirs. In doing so, Forestwise generates employment and income for local inhabitants.

 

Forestwise has an agreement with the villages in Borneo, where the company will continue purchasing Illipe nuts from local farmers in exchange for the villagers’ commitment to not cut down endangered Shorea Stenoptera trees. This arrangement encourages personal ownership over the rainforest, further protecting it from monoculture plantation practices.

 

Forestwise currently contracts over 700 farmers in 27 different villages in Borneo to collect Illipe nuts. By working with Forestwise, an Illipe nut collector is able to earn an additional income that is 6 times his average monthly salary, within just two months. Taking into account the Illipe nut’s three-year growing season, this works out to a 17% increase in annual income for the farmers, which has helped to fund education and home improvement needs.