Biotrade

Biotrade is a Bulgarian dermocosmetics company based in Sofia that develops and manufactures targeted skincare for specific skin conditions, including acne, hyperpigmentation, excessive sweating, seborrhea and atopic skin. It was founded by the dermatologist Dr. Nikolay Naydenov, MD, PhD, who created the patented formula for its first product, the Acne Out active lotion [6]. The company remains active: in December 2024 it marked a 30-year anniversary and continues to sell across more than two dozen markets [5].

The business is privately held by the Naydenov family rather than owned by a larger group, and its entire range traces back to that original anti-acne formula. Within Bulgaria, Acne Out grew into the company's defining line, while subsidiaries and distributors carried the products abroad.

Biotrade originates with Dr. Nikolay Naydenov, a Bulgarian dermatologist who created the patented Acne Out active lotion. The company's History page dates that formula to 1992, with the patent granted in 1997 [6]. The independent UK distributor acneout.co.uk likewise states a founding year of 1992 [9]. The brand's "Acne Out formula was biotrade's first patented invention, on which its entire product range is based," according to the company.

The founding year is not entirely settled. While the History page and the UK distributor give 1992, a search-engine summary derived from the homepage's "over 25 years" framing recorded the year as 1994 [3]. The company's own 30-year anniversary, celebrated in December 2024, also implies a start around 1994 [5]. The 1992 formula-creation date is used here as the origin year because it is the brand's explicit, dedicated statement and is corroborated by an independent source.

Dr. Naydenov's role is cross-confirmed outside the company's own pages: the UK registry for Biotrade Cosmeceuticals Ltd lists Nikolay Naydenov, a Bulgarian national born in January 1965, among its persons with significant control [8].

After the 1992 formula and its 1997 patent, the company expanded from a single product into a broader range. In 2002 it launched five new lines — Odorex, Sebomax, Melabel, Calmax and Repelex — and put its first website online the following year. A new office building was inaugurated in 2010, and in 2011 the company established its first international subsidiary, in Romania.

The 2010s brought a build-out of manufacturing and quality systems. Biotrade received an ISO 9001 certificate in 2013 and inaugurated a new production facility with GMP certification in 2014. In 2018 it introduced what it describes as the first Bulgarian product with benzoyl peroxide, Acne Out BP 5% [6]. The company reports holding five patents and utility models across its work.

Biotrade is privately held and has no parent company. The UK entity Biotrade Cosmeceuticals Ltd lists three persons with significant control, all Bulgarian: Nikolay Naydenov and Evgeniya Naydenova, each holding between 25% and 50% of shares, and Raya Kardzhieva, with rights to appoint or remove directors [8]. No acquisitions are recorded.

The company positions itself as a dermatologist-led developer of science-based products for specific skin concerns, made with what it calls hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic formulae. Its stated mission is "to create efficient and effective products, which nurture and visibly improve the health and look of the skin." The company sums up its values as putting "our mission first, not business," keeping its promises, and changing lives.

Distribution is led by pharmacies. Biotrade describes Acne Out as the best-selling anti-acne range in Bulgarian pharmacies and claims a 70% share of the country's acne-treatment category — a self-reported figure that has not been independently verified [3]. The company says its products are sold in 25 countries across three continents.

Biotrade operates as a house brand whose portfolio is organised into condition-specific lines. Acne Out, also marketed as Acnaut, is the flagship: a full range for cleansing and treating oily and acne-prone skin. Other lines target distinct concerns — Pure Skin, an acids-based range for enlarged pores and blackheads; Melabel, for hyperpigmentation; Odorex, an antiperspirant the company says controls sweating and odour for up to ten days after a single use; and Sebomax, aimed at seborrhea, dandruff and thinning hair. The Keratolin lines use urea for body, hand and foot care, and Scarex is formulated to flatten raised scars.

The two ingredients the company foregrounds are benzoyl peroxide, central to the Acne Out treatments, and urea in the Keratolin range. According to the UK distributor, the products' "efficacy and tolerance have been proven in clinical trials" [9].

Third-party coverage is limited and regional. The Bulgarian trade site Cosmetics Bulgaria describes Biotrade as most famous for its Acne Out / Acnaut products, along with the Pure Skin and Melabel lines [7]. The company reports receiving a Brand Building Award in the cosmetics category in 2024 [4].

Biotrade is active. Its most recent news posts are dated 18 December 2024 and include coverage of a 30-year anniversary celebration attended by more than 300 guests, among them distributors from Vietnam, Ireland and Ukraine [5]. The company's History page also references an online expansion across European languages planned for 2025. Its reach is multi-region — rooted in Bulgaria, with international sales through subsidiaries and distributors — rather than fully global.