Biotechnology is not a four-letter word. But scientifically-challenged naysayers have been disparaging the science for years. Industry experts maintain biotechnology offers a range of benefits to the cosmetic chemist. Akshay Talati, VP-product development and innovation, Goop, led a discussion on the topic with a panel of innovators from startup and multinational companies. The Makeup in New York session was sponsored by the New York Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

Arcaea Founder and CEO Jasmina Aganovic called biotechnology “a living factory.”  Today, beauty industry creates traditional, chemistry-derived ingredients with machinery. But in biotechnology, the factory is a living cell, she explained. Biotechnology enables formulators to reconstruct cells to obtain what they need, without expensive equipment. Biotech is less limiting, less constraining and more sustainable, she added.

“We can make things that traditional chemistry cannot,” Aganovic asserted.

Peter Tsolis, VP-skincare research & development, Estée Lauder Cos. agreed.

“The exciting thing is the amazing manipulations we can do to express the consumer benefit we seek,” said Tsolis. “We want to enhance performance and provide safe and effective products. We can use biotechnology to do that.”

And while some groups may be concerned about the safety of the technology, Alison Cutlan, VP-scientific innovation, The Rootist, noted that people have been interacting with microbes since the beginning of time.

“Our ancestors knew that using biochemistry is healthier. Today we can produce better, more creative ingredients,” she said. “Biotechnology is native to who we are. It is a better set of tools, that is safer, more effective and more sustainable.”

Talati noted that the beauty industry began working with biotechnology decades ago, but interest in the process continues to grow. Tsolis credited biotech’s popularity to growing consumer interest in purity, efficacy, sustainability and traceability. Biotechnology can, for example, reduce the amount of monomer in a formula.

Is the Science Lost in Translation?

Biotech’s benefits are manifold, but connecting with consumers is paramount, agreed panelists.

Aganovic recalled her early days on the formulating bench at Living Proof and later, at Sephora and QVC. After a time, she realized that consumers don’t connect with terms like polyfluoro esters. Innovation must be translated in a way so that consumers can understand it.

Biotechnolgy makes that translation easier, according to Aganovic. She created Mother Dirt and Arcaea based on the belief that emotional connection is a critical part of success. That connection is palable through innovations like Arcaea’s launch of a fragrance line based on extinct flowers. The launch wouldn’t be possible without biotechnology.

“Start with the consumer and make sure there is an emotional connection about why they desire that product,” she explained. “Biotech shouldn’t matter to the sales pitch. It should be emotional.”

The Rootist’s key technology is a bioferment composed of eight different botanicals combined with two types of bacteria that make the formula do more. Biotechnology increases activity, and changes the qualities of the formula. Biotechnology frequently results in multifunctional products; it can have a ceramide-like or an antioxidant-like reaction to skin. But one of the challenges is that biotech-based formulas may be more sensitive to pH, color and light.

For example, Aganovic and her team were developing a sunscreen based on fish-derived materials, but they were having issues with pH. The lightbulb moment came when they realized fish are happiest in the ocean, so they reworked the formula to match it to ocean water pH. To achieve that level of innovative thinking, the panelists agreed, researchers must take themselves out of the equation, start listening to nature and discover new ways of achieving goals.

“There is a lot of trial and error, but it is beautiful when you can do more with less,” Cutlan told the audience. “These formulas are often more stable and better on the skin and fun to work with, too.”

Is less more? Talati bemoaned traditional chemistry which often calls for many ingredients but with little efficacy. With that in mind, he asked: “is multifunctionality part of minimalism?”

Cutlan concurred, noting that nature works in multifunctional ways and that’s how chemists must formulate. Biotech-based formulas aren’t loaded with ingredients, they’re based on synergies.

“I’m an idealist. You have to go to the edge and push,” explained Cutlan. “At The Rootist, we wanted to use the ferment as the water phase. It is expensive, but our formulas are concentrated and biodegradable, too.”

Aganovic agreed that biotechnology isn’t cheap—but it is effective.

“So even if the product is expensive, you are using small amounts of active ingredients,” she explained. “In traditional chemistry, cheaper ingredients, such as petroleum derivatives, are used in large amounts.”

Biotech-based ingredients really are different. And they require a different kind of thinking for the cosmetic chemist, said Tsolis.

“We have to design around biotechnology, but we aren’t there yet,” he explained. “We have to process differently, using less heat, more pressure. It’s a new frontier.”

New and more sustainable, too. Tsolis said biotechnology can help bridge the sustainability gap in beauty.

“Naturals can deplete resources, too,” he noted. “Biotech can help us create with minimal impact. It is science and a controlled, engineering process, too.”

Biotechnology also means beauty hacking. Cutlan said biotech allows researchers to impact longevity and optimize ourselves at a cellular level.

“We can use biotechnology to create growth factors and peptides to repair cellular processes,” she explained. “Fermented ingredients help with DNA repair and telomere repair. Biotech helps make it possible.”

Innovation Aided by Artificial Intelligence

These days, no technology discussion is complete without mentioning artificial intelligence. Arcaea utilized AI and machine learning for a recent product development initiative. Aganovic noted that biology is much more than just cells making things—it involves protein design and engineering, bioinformatics and other disciplines. As part of its Scent Shifting program, Arcaea researchers studied how armpit odor is produced by bacteria. Researchers used machine learning to predict combinations of nutrients that would not produce odor.

“We trained the model to create Scent Arc. It reduces odor by shifting the body to the state of not creating body odor,” explained Aganovic.

Machine learning made it possible. Arcaea ran 12,000-13,000 tests in nine months. Aganovic said AI and machine learning make it possible to screen ingredients and develop formulas faster than ever.  

Convincing Consumers About the Benefits of Biotech

Talati concluded the presentation by reminding panelists that people still fear the word, “biotechnology.”

Tsolis noted that 27 years ago, fermentation wasn’t an accepted term in beauty. It’s a natural process, but not a consumer-facing one. Biotechnology remains a fuzzy concept in the minds of many consumers. To boost biotech in the minds of consumers, panelists reminded the audience to keep it simple.

Cutlan recalled one project with the working tagline: “Biological care for root, scalp and hair.”

But the moniker didn’t convey the benefits of biotech. Instead, The Rootist team focused on its benefits as a wellness brand powered by fermentation.

“That opens a conversation about what fermentation is, and how it makes formulas more powerful and sustainable.”

The Future of Biotechnology

In closing, Talati asked panelists if biotech is here to stay, or will it go the way of say, CBD? 

Tsolis is confident that biotech is more than a fad—if consumers use products that are truly efficacious.

“You can’t just tell them it will work; it has to work,” he insisted.

Aganovic agreed that the next generation of products will be science-focused and connect with consumers.

“Now is a great time for brand building with biology-inspired concepts that connect with consumers,” she insisted.

Cutlan concluded brands that address pain points will succeed. She noted that Aganovic’s team developed a new biotech sunscreen—at a time when industry is clamoring for more sunscreen actives. She predicted that biotech may offer solutions in diverse areas like preservatives, colorants and even packaging.

“There are so many opportunities,” she concluded. “At the of the day, so many ingredients are petrochemical-based. We need better materials!”