York-based sustainable aerosol technology company Salvalco raises funds for growth

Founded in 2013, Salvalco was formed as a commercial development arm from the University of Salford that created a new eco-friendly aerosol technology, the Eco-Valve.

The valve, protected by eight global patents, uses environmentally-friendly nitrogen as its propellant rather than the butane most commonly used today.

Hydrocarbon propellants like butane are a contributor to global warming. Nivea, the global personal care brand, has joined forces with Salvalco to use the aerosol valve for its new ECODEO deodorant range which launched last year. The Eco-Valve can be used in more than 85% of all personal aerosol applications, including deodorant, hairspray and sunscreen.

The Eco-Valve also brings cost savings for retailers in comparison to butane-based aerosols, which are flammable. This means they must be stored and transported under controlled conditions, adding significant supply chain costs.

Salvalco’s Eco-Valve technology has also been adopted by one of Europe’s largest pharmacy chains, Rossmann, for its own-label Alterra deodorant range. Rossmann operates more than 4,000 stores across Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Albania, Kosovo and Spain.

Salvalco will use the funding raised through Growthdeck to expand sales as the company scales up, including increasing its manufacturing capacity at its plant in Thailand.

Salvalco has already been backed by leading technology VC investor Foresight Williams Technology, as well as Nivea owner Beiersdorf. Both will be making further investments alongside Growthdeck in the current funding round.

Salvalco’s revenues are projected to grow 25-fold over the next five years, from £384,000 in 2021 to £10.1 million in 2026.

The team leading Salvalco includes Chair Paul Martin, who has over 30 years of expertise in global operations with consumer goods giants including P&G and Unilever. Managing Director Peter Shaw has 25 years of packaging industry experience including with Walmart Asda and Aptar.

Ian Zant-Boer, CEO of Growthdeck, says: “We’re excited to support Salvalco as they disrupt the aerosol industry while making big strides to protect the planet.”

“There is a real need to be met here – not just environmentally, but in terms of costs too. Aerosols utilising the Salvalco Eco-Valves already cost less to store and transport than butane filled aerosols do. The fact that major players in consumer goods like Beiersdorf and Rossmann are already buying from Salvalco is a major endorsement and a sign of where the business is going.”