From Alternative Sourcing to Designed Functionality: Biotech’s Next Role in Personal and Home Care

Where are the most meaningful shifts happening today?

Biotechnology is moving from a niche sourcing route into a broader innovation platform for personal and home care. The most meaningful shifts are happening where biology enables more precise ingredient creation, more resilient supply chains and resource-conscious manufacturing. Several biotech processes have recently reached a level of maturity where they can successfully replace selected plant-based components or synthetically produced ingredients, provided that volume, quality and pricing criteria are fulfilled. At the same time, advances in digital tools, automation and high-throughput methodologies are making biotech development faster, more predictable and increasingly economical. The shift is therefore not only about replacing existing materials but about establishing biotechnology as one important pillar of green transformation alongside green chemistry and sustainable extraction.

What is the next phase beyond sustainable alternatives?

The next phase is functionality and resilience by design. Early biotech stories often focused on creating more sustainable alternatives to existing materials. That remains relevant, but the next step is to use biotechnology to access improved or entirely new performance profiles, including biomimetic molecules, fermentation-derived actives, biocatalytic transformations, postbiotic or paraprobiotic approaches and bio-inspired delivery systems. Biotechnology may also go beyond what nature directly provides, enabling optimized processes or molecules that are inspired by natural systems but improved for industrial use.

Are we moving from using biotechnology toward designing with biology?

Yes, gradually. Designing with biology means starting from the biological question and then selecting the right technology route: precision fermentation, biocatalysis, green chemistry, sustainable extraction or a combination of these. It requires interdisciplinary collaboration between biotechnology, microbiology, skin biology, formulation science, analytics, toxicology, regulatory affairs, sustainability, IP, process engineering and consumer research. Digital modelling and automated screening are becoming important accelerators, helping teams identify promising organisms, enzymes, pathways or process conditions more quickly. The mindset also changes: biological systems are powerful, but they must be translated into robust, safe, scalable, and economically viable solutions.

What limitations or unresolved questions remain?

Biotech projects require careful evaluation and selection.  A biotech route per se is also not automatically more sustainable; it must be compared with green chemistry using data on feedstock, energy, water, solvents, waste, downstream processing, logistics and overall carbon footprint.  Companies will also need to address questions about GMO-related perception, safety documentation, global regulatory acceptance, residual impurities, and transparent consumer communication. Conducting a thorough assessment is essential to determine where biotech opportunities can deliver meaningful and sustainable value.

What genuinely new products or materials may biotechnology enable?

Looking ahead, biotechnology may enable materials that are difficult to access through conventional chemistry or extraction: highly specific biomimetic actives, precision-fermented peptides or proteins, postbiotic systems for skin and scalp balance, enzyme-enabled performance boosters and bio-inspired delivery or protection systems. It may also reduce supply chain risks for ingredients affected by seasonality, land use, climate variability or geopolitical constraints. The most convincing opportunities will be those where biotechnology delivers reliable quality, strong performance, and measurable sustainability advantages versus the best alternative technology route.