Debut, a biotech company near Torrey Pines, has signed an agreement with L’Oréal to develop more than a dozen bio-identical ingredients in beauty products.
The deal aims to replace traditionally sourced ingredients currently used in L’Oréal beauty and personal care brands, including those for skin, hair, cosmetics and fragrances.
As part of the agreement, Debut said in a news release, the company will create new bio-based ingredients using “proprietary advanced biomanufacturing processes which combine fermentation and cell-free technology to replace conventional methods.”
“Creating bio-identical ingredients at scale helps preserve global biodiversity and secure responsible ingredient supply chains while continuing to prioritize quality and product performance,” said Debut founder and CEO Joshua Britton, Ph.D. “Debut is committed to creating bio-based formulations for all its beauty products and has unmatched capabilities in biotechnology, formulation and scaling to catalyze this transformative shift in beauty.”
L’Oréal’s Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director of Augmented Beauty and Open Innovation, called Debut a “best-in-class” partner.
“Through this exciting partnership and adoption of breakthrough technology, we are well-positioned to drive the creation of more sustainable and effective products that meet the demands of our consumers and fulfills our duty of care for the planet,” Balooch said.
The global beauty and personal care market is currently valued at $646 billion and projected to grow at an annual rate of 3.33%, according to Statista.
Synthetic biology, which Boston Consulting Group described as “the manufacturing paradigm of the future,” seeks to deliver bio-identical alternative ingredients for sustainable beauty. Debut, its officials said, is “highly complementary to L’Oréal’s global R&D efforts” and a partner in meeting its “future sustainability commitments.”
“Our mission is to pioneer the shift to biotechnology,” Britton said.