The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) honored Sami-Sabinsa Group, the manufacturing and R&D arm of Sabinsa Corporation, with the prestigious 2013 "Product Innovator of the Year" award for the proprietary product OLEPENT^®

OLEPENT^®, the triterpene-pentapeptide complex with unique cosmeceutical properties created by Sami-Sabinsa Group, emerged the winner in the Fine Chemicals Category. OLEPENT^® will be launched by Sabinsa later this year to be licensed under exclusivity.

Sabinsa and Sami-Sabinsa Group – Founder and Managing Director, Muhammed Majeed, PhD, received the honor at an elite ceremony organized as part of the INDIA CHEM Gujarat 2013 conference held October 24-26, 2013 at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The conference focused on the scientific developments in the areas of Specialty/ Fine/Agro/Personal Care Chemicals/Dyes/Colorants and Pigments.

OLEPENT^®'s inventive merit was acknowledged by the United States Patent Office through US Patent No. 8383594 titled "Peptides modified with triterpenoids and small organic molecules: synthesis and use in cosmeceuticals." The Karnataka State Innovation Council awarded the inventors of OLEPENT^® a merit certificate for filing a corresponding Indian Patent application.

"I am honored to accept this award on behalf of Sami-Sabinsa Group in the area of cosmeceutical peptides. The product is the result of years of research combining the strengths of this group in natural products and peptides," said Dr. Majeed. "OLEPENT^® is a breakthrough commercial cosmeceutical peptide that is stable, better absorbed into the skin and has proven cosmeceutical properties. The Sami/Sabinsa group continues to deliver new products in the areas of nutrition and cosmetics through constant innovation."

About Sami-Sabinsa Group:

Sami-Sabinsa Group is a translational health sciences company that develops and manufactures innovative, proprietary phytonutrients and standardized herbal extracts, specialty fine chemicals and organic intermediates used in the nutritional, pharmaceutical and food industries. The company selects ingredients with a long history of traditional success and conducts clinical research to confirm their efficacy and safety. Strategic global alliances and international presence is mediated through Sabinsa Corporation, the sales and marketing arm of Sami-Sabinsa Group. With offices in USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Philippines and the Middle East, Sami-Sabinsa Group has 750 employees in India and 150 in other international locations. Sabinsa and Sami-Sabinsa Group together employ 110 scientists worldwide.