33 Tertiary Education
Growing the businesses of tomorrow The movement towards natural plant-based cosmeceuticals is gaining ever more traction around the world. Given the broad plant diversity of South Africa, there presents amazing scope for new product development to treat a wide range of skin conditions.
P
rofessor Lall at the University of Pretoria was prompted by the untapped potential of South African plant species to evaluate unexplored plants and develop products which can be applied topically. Several plants have been proven to have an effect for skin related issues such as melasma, spots, pigmentation, acne and anti-ageing. As of today, 16 prototype products have been developed through Professor Lall and her research team. Tertiary institutions providing education and training for the beauty industry typically train students on existing products and modes of application, leaving little scope for personal business growth. Professor Lall is passionate about a future where products from indigenous plants will not only benefit companies and consumers, but also the local communities and entrepreneurs in the beauty industry: She says: “By adding value to local indigenous plants, we might interest pharmaceutical companies to help in the development of novel cosmetic products. South Africa does not beneficiate enough local resources, choosing rather to export. We can therefore not derive the value benefits third parties add to the resources in turning them into products. The result is that some of the local cosmetic companies import final products and we lose local beneficiation, local industry, and jobs.
By adding value to local indigenous plants, we might interest pharmaceutical companies to help in the development of novel cosmetic products. “We hope our project may lead to the beneficiation of local endemic plant material, as well infrastructure building and upliftment in the community. It could also help to create a local market for community farmers for raw materials, replace imports, create jobs in local production, and lead to future exports, the training of students, and technology transfer between universities.”
Accredited course These limitations in the current industry prompted Professor Lall to create a year-long University accredited course (5 SACNASP CPD Points): Phytomedicine and Natural Products, Presented by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria. This is a blended learning short course that aims to provide practical and theoretical skills to scientists and researchers specialising in the discovery of new natural products from plants and their uses. Students will be provided with the skills to undertake research within the
discipline of Phytomedicine and Natural Products, as articulated during the course. Students will have the benefit of attending a specialised course in life sciences and therefore be enabled to work at the interface between a specialised research environment and the more practical immediate problem-solving arena within a phyto-drug industry. This multidisciplinary and collaborative course will incorporate plant science, phytochemistry, pharmacology, plant pathology, as well as safety and efficacy issues of commonly used phyto-drugs – with emphasis on pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. After successfully completing this course, students will have a comprehensive insight into the field of Phytomedicine and Natural Products, have gained knowledge on pharmacological action of plant constituents, learnt different bioassays used in the laboratory to scientifically prove or reject the claims, and have learnt practical aspects related to the quality control and phyto-drug formulation. The course also offers hands on teaching of making their own soaps, body lotions, hair pomade and lip balm. “These skills play such a key role towards young entrepreneurs for the possibility of their own start-up company in the fields of alternative therapy treatments such as naturopathy, homeopathy and cosmetics,” concludes Professor Lall. PB online @ probeauty.co.za
