AT   The active ingredients and the industry

The production of any medicine or cosmetic depends on the manipulation of substances which contain active ingredients which are responsible for the therapeutic effects in the organism .Medicines for example also include inert substances called excipients which are the vehicle for the active ingredient achieve its therapeutic effect.

In Brazil, imports of active ingredients APIs (IFAs in Portuguese) represent about 90% of the total used by the Pharmaceutical Industry. The main manufacturers of APIs are located in China, India, Europe and United States.

Brazil API´s industry does not stand out in the worldwide scenery of producers of such ingredients.

In spite of this Brazilian National and Multinational laboratories already export its formulations made in Brazil worldwide principally to Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Africa .A few national laboratories have already purchased laboratories abroad mainly in Latin America as a strategy of growth and to become a worldwide player.

The Cosmetic sector

Controlled by ANVISA´s Technical Chamber of Cosmetics and by RDC resolution 211 cosmetics by definition are products for personal use and perfumes which are formulated with natural and synthetic substances for external use in several parts of the body.

Its more complex formulations utilize countless raw materials .Below are examples of several synthetic active ingredients such as Benzophenones, Hydroquinones,Tocoferol, Melanines,Titanium Dioxide,Zinc Oxide,Vitamin A (Retinol) ,Benzoyl Peroxide ,Naphtoic Acid, Sulphur,Tanines,Selenium Sulphides ,Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate,Benzalconium Chloride ,Benzoic Acid,Chlorocetamide, Paraben , Phenols, Ammonium quaternary salts ,thimerosal among others.