L’Oreal makes minority investment in biotech company Debut
L’Oreal has made a minority investment in US biotech company Debut as part of plans to scale its manufacturing platform and meet growing demand for breakthrough ingredients to be used in cosmetics, skincare and packaging.
The move builds on existing joint development programmes between the two companies.
Based in San Diego, Debut specialises in the end-to-end discovery, formulation, clinical trial and manufacture of novel ingredients and products.
L’Oreal said the company’s cell-free advanced biomanufacturing platform bypasses the limitations of traditional fermentation and takes direct control of biological processes to produce complex natural products, such as polyphenols, biopolymers and natural colours. When using the platform, new ingredients can be delivered in as little as six weeks for use in higher performing, more sustainably made beauty products.
Barbara Lavernos, deputy chief executive officer in charge of research, innovation and technology at L’Oréal, said: “Debut addresses one of the beauty world’s fundamental challenges: driving innovation without the resource-intensity and environmental impact that comes with relying on traditional manufacturing alone.
“Cell-free biomanufacturing is not science fiction: it is here. We could not be more excited to be the first beauty company to invest into this technology with Debut. We are delighted of our partnership with Debut to create together stand-out active beauty innovations while protecting the planet’s resources.”
