Description: This piece focuses on the role of biotechnology in developing sustainable cosmetic solutions. Particularly, the article explores how biotechnology allows innovators to enhance anti-ageing formulations, as well as how to customise and personalise personal care products while adhering to ethical sourcing practices.

Advances in the biotechnology sector are revolutionising the cosmetic market. Building on our improved understanding of biological interactions, bioengineered ingredients can work on a wide range of functionalities, many of them at the forefront of the personal care industry today.

With medical research introducing a wealth of new biological concepts to the public sphere, lending meaning to terms such as ‘senescence’, ‘epigenetics’, ‘microbiome’, and ‘autophagy’, there has been an increased interest in anti-ageing products and practices. A range of methods to ‘enhance’ the human body by changing its biology – often referred to broadly as ‘biohacking’ – have become more common and reflect an increased desire for members of society to have greater control over their health and bodies (1).

As the human body ages, several biological processes lose efficiency or become defective, resulting in signs of ageing and a compromised skin barrier. Bioengineering can be used to create active ingredients that can help our bodies’ own biopathways return to optimum efficiency for healthy skin.

So what are the most promising cosmetic solutions from the biotech industry today? In this article, we will delve into two of the most interesting areas of development.

Exosomes for innovation

In recent years, studies into the body have identified a type of biovesicle with considerable potential for improving human health: exosomes. Exosomes are tiny extracellular vesicles (a mix of peptides, lipids, collagen and proteins) which are at the heart of major biological processes, directly impacting the body’s metabolism and the behaviour of target cells (2,3).

They are released from several different types of cells, including stem cells, and circulate in the bloodstream (3).

In the cosmetic industry, exosome manipulation has proved fruitful in the development of products and treatments with a range of helpful properties. Exosomes have been used to reduce wrinkles, improve skin texture and hydration, and enhance skin elasticity, as well as to reduce the inflammation and damage caused by UV radiation (3). One interesting application is in a type of skincare treatment comparable to the viral platelet-rich plasma (PRP) ‘vampire facial’, which uses a sample of a patient’s blood to stimulate the collagen and elastin in their skin, improving its appearance (4). Notably, exosomes have exhibited better performance compared to PRP due to their consistency; the plasma in PRP is limited by the health and age of the client (older patients will have fewer proteins, growth factors and lipids in their plasma), while exosomes are uniformly high in regenerative content (2).

However, the potential of exosomes is only just starting to be realised. Recent studies suggest that exosomes may aid hair growth, and, due to their regenerative ability, are now also being manufactured and used for medical applications (3, 5). Their natural abundance and high detectability in the body also makes them good candidates for use in cancer treatment and detection, both as biomarkers and as part of efficient drug delivery systems (6). Additionally, as a result of their documented role in physiological and pathological immune responses in the body, exosomes are thought to have potential in treating corneal diseases (7).

Germ power

In the continuing pursuit of effective ingredients to incorporate into cosmetic products, bacteria often play a vital role. From fragrances to pigments, these tiny, efficient chemical factories are being harnessed to produce a host of beneficial new materials (8).

One example of this is Lactobacillus, a genus of rod-shaped, gram-positive bacteria used extensively in cosmetics, and often referred to as the ‘friendly microbe’ (9, 10). Acknowledged for their gut health benefits, there are over 170 species of Lactobacillus, each one yielding a varying blend of metabolites (or ‘postbiotics’) (11, 12). Strikingly, bioguided fermentation of the particular strain Lactobacillus arizonensis was found to form postbiotics that could be concentrated and optimised for use as an active ingredient in skincare products (13). Shown to be particularly effective in targeting dry skin, L. arizonensis ferment has been shown to activate epidermal renewal, boosting the production of protein and lipid structures, and improving the integrity of the skin barrier (13). [GD1]

In addition to these properties, L. arizonensis ferment is an example of how innovations in biotech can facilitate sustainable processes. L. arizonensis is a plant probiotic harvested from the jojoba shrub that grows naturally in the arid conditions of the Arizona desert (14). Though jojoba is a relatively abundant plant source, many other wild plants have been endangered for their use in cosmetic products (15, 16). Another example of a widely used natural ingredient is bisabolol, a skin soothing agent that is obtained through steam distillation of the essential oil yielded by Brazilian Candeia trees (17). Besides avoiding deforestation, fermenting the oil in a lab results in a highly pure, supply chain-secure and traceable product (17). Lab cultivation methods are therefore integral to producing quality rare ingredients at scale with reduced environmental pollution and damage to natural plant or animal populations (17,18).

Furthermore, to directly protect natural habitats, lab cultivation techniques also offer wider environmental advantages. Once the initial bacteria strain has been collected, sufficient quantities of the active ingredient can be produced with ease in the lab, bypassing the need for transportation of large quantities of raw plant material. Moreover, in cases where natural ingredients are farmed, lab-grown natural actives reduce the industry’s dependency on traditional agricultural practices and their concomitant issues around pesticide, insecticide, and heavy water usage, helping to further secure the longevity of specialised actives in the cosmetics sector (18,19).

Looking forward

It is clear that biotechnology holds the key to many innovations in the personal care industry. In future, biotech innovations are likely to enable many more sustainable technologies and enhance the formulation of personal care products, allowing new and effective ingredients to be obtained with minimised impact on the natural environment. To achieve this goal, a host of exciting technologies will undoubtedly be used, taking inspiration from human biology and the wider natural world to impart their beneficial properties to new generations of cosmetics users.