Biotechnology:: Personal Care Market Report
Biotechnology:: Personal Care Market Report
Biotechnology:: Personal Care Market Report
performing bio-based ingredients to expand Bio-Based Chemicals/Products in nine Product Groups in the
their role, many of which could be derived EU Chemical Industry - 2019.
Introduction | 3
What is
biotechnology?
For the purposes of this report, we define
biotechnology as the use of non-animal
living organisms’ cellular and biomolecular
processes to develop products for industrial
use. Biotechnology takes advantage of the
ability of certain living organisms to take in a
substance or substances and, via their inbuilt
biological processes, convert them into
useful industrial products.
It opens the possibility for a wide range of
new ingredients to be derived from biological
feedstocks, that could replace ones that
require chemical manufacturing processes or
are derived from petrochemical feedstocks.
Whilst there is a variety of terminology in
use across the personal care sector, for the
purposes of this report we will be using two
main key terms:
Bio-based products/ingredients –
products/ingredients derived from non-
animal living and renewable materials such
as crops. The means by which these raw
materials produce products/ingredients
include both chemical and non-chemical
processes.
Biotechnology-derived products/
ingredients – these are also derived from
non-animal living raw materials but are
converted into products/ingredients solely
through biotechnology processing.
4 | What is biotechnology
Biotechnology
in personal care
What do malaria treatments and skin bacteria, to utilise their expertise for
cream have in common? Answer - they innovative product development related
can both contain Squalene oil, a highly to the skin’s microbiome. Even the
effective moisturizer that occurs naturally development of peptides and ceramides
in human skin. It is a highly prized and in the 1970s that have revolutionised the
hugely effective ingredient. It can help industry, stem from biotechnology.
save lives when being used as part of
a treatment for a disease that kills more Over the past thirty years, blending
than 600,000 people a year2. And it can advanced technology with natural raw
also help improve the efficacy of other materials has become more common
ingredients it is paired with in beauty and is now a regular source of new
products, making it significant for the skin and replacement ingredients in the
care sector. personal care industry. As standards
of beauty have changed, so have the
Until recently, obtaining some Squalene technology and innovation capacities
oil involved harvesting shark liver we can leverage in their pursuit. At the
– an unsustainable and expensive same time, the boundaries between
practice. But today biotechnology can biotechnology and health care have
be used to create Squalene oil using started to erode and the technologies
molecules derived from sugarcane using and approaches familiar for developing
fermentation. More than two million biopharmaceuticals have spilled over
sharks have already been spared in the into other industries, including cosmetics.
production of cosmetics as a result of this Here this has led to the establishment of
innovative approach. ‘cosmeceuticals’ – which blend the two
fields together and blur the lines between
The use of biotechnology for personal cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
care products is by no means a new
development or restricted to niche This is all enabling personal care
players. Japanese skincare giant companies to use biotechnology as
Shiseido was an early adopter of a new toolset to discover bio-based
biotechnology in the 1980s. Notably, ingredients that perform equally or better
it was the first to create bio-hyaluronic (offering new unique performance) than
acid at a time when competitors were their petrochemical-derived alternatives,
extracting it from roosters’ combs. Estée all whilst being more sustainable. This
Lauder Companies recently embarked on includes some game-changing anti-
a partnership to explore new anti-ageing ageing products such as resveratrol and
molecules using biotechnology. And plant extracts.
L’Oréal has signed a licensing agreement 2
World Health Organisation Malaria Factsheet –
with a biotech firm specialising in
2022
5
Cosmetics Europe 2017 – Consumer Insights 2017
Innovation
Whilst biotechnology is not new it remains can be produced through biotechnology
one of the most innovative ways in which processes instead, such as fermentation
to create novel personal care products and bioprocessing, is growing. There is
whilst addressing sustainability concerns. considerable potential for more bio-based
Companies have been using bio-based alternatives to be produced than ever
ingredients within their products for before and biotechnology is the key to
decades, but they have been limited by the finding them.
boundaries of what traditional chemistry
can create. Biotechnology changes that Secondly, it provides a way to discover
significantly in two ways. bio-based ingredients from new and
existing natural feedstocks. The use
Firstly, it provides a completely different of biotechnology to replace existing
toolkit with which to explore the molecules petrochemical-derived ingredients is
that can be obtained from existing living only half of the story. In an industry that
organisms. We know that traditional constantly needs to innovate and improve
chemistry already provides a way to product performance, the opportunity
produce certain ingredients, but it can biotechnology provides to answer
require the use of catalysts, solvents, and questions that the sector has never been
raw materials that are not sustainable. able to solve through chemistry alone is
The number of those ingredients that huge.
Sustainability
sustainability are evolving and now span
Deriving ingredients from biological a much wider definition, encompassing
feedstocks rather than petrochemicals ethical supply chains; diversity and
is often a more sustainable option. inclusion; gender equality; and the
But the source of those biological raw equitable sharing of benefits.
materials and the way in which they are Today’s consumers are far more
processed into useful ingredients still has interested in learning about what goes
a significant bearing on how they affect into making their products than previous
people, society, and the environment. generations, leading to a growing demand
That is why biotechnology’s ability to for better safety and transparency and
create bio-based ingredients without much closer interrogation of upstream raw
endangering biodiversity is attractive. For materials. Where once the question was
example, plant cell culture can be used to “is this ingredient plant based?” it is now
extract cells from one plant and use them frequently “where does that plant-based
to produce larger amounts of specific raw material come from? Which country?
ingredient, rather than potentially having Which region? How is it sourced? What
to harvest huge amounts of crops to impact does it have on biodiversity? Is
achieve the same outcome. there an equitable sharing of benefit in the
Biotechnology processes such as supply chain through which you receive
fermentation and plant cell culture it?”
take place in sterile and confined As a result, personal care companies
environments. The ingredients that now have industry-leading sustainability
emerge provide the best way of sourcing programmes that cover all these
new bio-based products with a lower areas and more, but they constantly
environmental impact. need to remain relevant to changing
Sustainability does not start and end consumer demands. Biotechnology can
with environmental impact though. help maintain and even enhance their
Consumer attitudes and concerns around credibility. The use of controlled processes
limits the complexity of the supply chain
Performance
Personal care companies now no longer
The natural world is not a controlled need to settle for natural performance alone.
environment geared towards supporting Biotechnology’s ability to tailor inputs and
the production of precise molecules outputs means that the molecules produced
performing predetermined functions. Sterile can be fine-tuned for efficacy improvements.
environments such as laboratories are, and For example, tailored microbes can
they can guarantee the quality and enhance synthesise active ingredients with higher
the performance of the ingredients they reliability and better quality control. Because
produce. they are grown in a controlled and sterile
environment, R&D teams can engineer their
Subtle changes in growing conditions growth and development to prevent the
can cause issues with naturally sourced likelihood of impurities and irregularities—a
ingredients and lead to fluctuations in common challenge among farmed, mined,
crop volumes and how much can be and naturally sourced ingredients, which can
extracted from each harvest. But because compromise performance.
biotechnology processes use a controlled
environment, the ingredients they produce
have the advantage of not being subject to
these uncontrollable variables. This means
biotechnology can produce a more consistent
product, and the resulting ingredients can be
purer and deliver more stable potency, which
is why they are usually stronger than those
obtained through classical methods. For
example, using cell cultures in a bioreactor
can, in some cases, provide a concentration
of molecules of interest that are up to 100
times higher than a typical natural extract.
Industrialisation
An inability to industrialise is holding In addition, to support product scale-
biotechnology back. Granting the up and technology development, pilot/
personal care sector access to an demonstration plant operation is often
entirely new set of innovative product the most reliable way to generate the
capabilities requires biotechnology data needed to design equipment and
processes to be delivered on an scale it up. Once successfully trialled/
industrial scale. Several approaches are modelled in laboratory conditions, the
showing credible promise, but none are finances and expertise required to grow
available at the magnitude required to to industrial production are significant,
compete with alternative petrochemical limiting access to only the few larger
routes. companies with the resources to
commit. It will naturally therefore limit the
This is due to a combination of cost technology options selected, which will
and complexity. The process of moving ultimately restrain levels of innovation in
from lab to production is extremely the sector.
challenging and as volume increases it
becomes harder to manufacture products Without sufficient support, particularly
this way. Even for the largest businesses, from governments, the challenges
which have significant manufacturing associated with moving biotechnology to
experience, it can be very difficult to go an industrial scale will become significant
past certain volume thresholds when it barriers. They will limit the variety of
comes to some biotechnology-derived innovative new ingredients for personal
ingredients. care companies, and the amounts of
each that can be created.
Barriers | 11
Specialised skilled workforce
Biotechnology is a niche field of Successful biotechnology programmes
technology where the skills required clearly require some specific technical
to succeed are a complex blend of skills – such as tissue culture; gel
technical and non-technical expertise. electrophoresis; and mass spectrometry,
That makes it a difficult environment as well as knowledge of a raft of different
in which to hire the right people organisms, genus, and families.
and build the right teams. While
biotechnology has always been highly Some of the skills needed go beyond
specialised, more recent innovations science, especially when it comes to
in technology, methodologies, as well the manufacturing expertise which is
as in related disciplines such as gene highly specialised when taking concepts
editing, pharmacogenetics or immune- from lab to production; and upper
biotechnology, have made the industry management positions, which require
even more complex, with not enough that candidates know how to work with
talent in these nascent areas to go partners around the world, manage and
around. mentor people and please investors as
well as corporate boards.
This is being exacerbated by the growth
of the sector itself. In 2018, biotech Biotechnology companies also need
startups raised just shy of $29 billion technology skills; commercial skills;
globally according to Crunchbase data, and marketing skills to fully capitalise
up from $19 billion in 2017. This cash on the growth of the sector. They are
infusion is fuelling biotech expansion now competing with more than just
across the world and emboldening start- biotechnology businesses for talent. In
ups to scale much more aggressively the technology space for example, the
than ever. Hiring has therefore expanded adoption of artificial intelligence and
and accelerated making it a more big data analytics means biotechnology
competitive market for those trying to employers are now in direct competition
find the right talent. with companies like Apple and Google
for talent, which is a battle that can be
And it isn’t only a tug-of-war within difficult to win.
the core biotechnology industry.
12 | Barriers
Consumer understanding
The manner in which the public perceive The very term ‘Biotechnology’ elicits a
any new technology will have important range of emotions, from wonder and awe to
influence on the timing and direction of fear and hostility. These emotions indicate
innovation, and the rate of uptake. just how poorly understood the field is and
the need for more accurate, dispassionate
We have already highlighted how information in the public sphere to allow
consumer demand for more innovative yet a rational public debate on the actual,
sustainable products is driving the growth as opposed to the perceived, risks and
of biotechnology in personal care. Yet benefits. Put simply, most consumers
whilst conscious consumerism is on the do not understand what biotechnology
rise, the understanding of biotechnology is and what it is not. That needs to
may not be keeping pace. One of the big change if companies want to use more
hurdles today is the erroneous perception biotechnology-derived ingredients in their
that biotechnology is bad, largely driven beauty products moving forward.
by poor communication around genetic
modification in agriculture many years ago.
Barriers | 13
14 | Recomendations
Recommendations
In any innovation-driven environment there will be barriers. Many of them can be overcome.
In this section we propose a series of recommendations for changes that could release the
full potential of biotechnology to drive greater innovation in the personal care industry.
Recomendations | 15
Reduce reliance on food crops
As growth in the demand for biotechnology- circles rather than industrial ones. And
derived products increases, so will the there are significant barriers to success.
demand for bio-based feedstocks. Sourcing Waste oil tends to be a mix of different
the majority from food crops can only be types of oil, making it necessary to filter
part of the long-term plan, because feeding and purify before a workable product can
people will always take priority over finding be delivered; food waste is seasonal – the
new cosmetic products and there are simply volume of strawberries consumed in summer
not enough food crops available to cover is likely to outstrip that in winter, reducing
both. Bio-based feedstocks therefore need to consistency of supply; and waste water will
be primarily sourced from areas that do not usually contain many contaminants that
interfere with food production. could inhibit growth and production. But
the potential benefits are still considerable.
Thankfully, food crops are not the only second generation feedstocks are incredibly
source of bio-based feedstocks that can sustainable as their carbon footprint is near
be used in biotechnology processes. Many zero. They would reduce cost as reusing
microorganisms and plants other than and recycling is often cheaper that starting
food crops have the potential to produce from scratch. And they would stimulate yet
biotechnology-derived products but remain more innovation – this time focussed on
largely unexplored. Diversifying into these the process of purifying and filtering waste
areas could unlock an enormous variety of through new or adapted biotechnology
new products. Access to renewable aquatic processes that deliver high quality end
biological organisms to make products products.
is a particular area of opportunity that is
already being explored but requires greater This report makes two recommendations
attention. Mankind now has the underwater to supplement the use of food crops. First,
technology to explore the sea and undertake it recommends that industry, academia
DNA sequencing to analyse its life. More and government collaborate (potentially
exploration of the sea biodiversity could through the biotechnology and personal care
enable us to develop new ingredients or working group outlined above) to support
industrial enzymes. and accelerate research into 2nd generation
biotechnology feedstocks. Secondly, and
And why restrict feedstocks to fresh to support the first recommendation, it
organic materials? Alternative options may suggests that any integrated strategy created
become available if research into using to support the growth of biotechnology,
waste streams such as waste cooking oil, should incorporate a drive towards feedstock
waste water from industrial processes, diversification. This will provide a political
or food waste continues to gather pace. impetus for this fragmented industry to rally
Unfortunately these ‘second generation around a common barrier to success.
feedstocks’ are still at an embryonic stage,
and the majority of activity is within academic
Scaled by design
If the most promising demonstrations of and specialist biotechnology firms get to
delivering biotechnology processes at an overcome the barrier of scaled production
industrial scale are from large companies, at a fraction of the cost of building their own
then partnering with them makes sense infrastructure. Done correctly, businesses at
for the array of smaller biotechnology both ends of the chain could build ‘scaling up’
businesses seeking to gain access to the into the design process and benefit hugely.
personal care market.
Both sides should be encouraged and
This has the potential to offer a win-win for incentivised to connect in this way by
both parties. Large personal care companies personal care companies seeking greater
get exclusive or early access to new access to innovative ingredients. One
ingredients they can offer to consumers, proven model already exists in the defence
16 | Recomendations
community, whereby a large customer (the same when it comes to biotechnology-
MOD) incentivises its main suppliers to derived ingredients. This would have
collaborate by giving preferential treatment a significant influence on the variety of
to those that integrate SMEs into their products available, and the speed at which
equipment and services offerings. Likewise, they can be offered to the market.
personal care companies can prioritise
working with large businesses that do the
Recomendations | 17
Biotechnology:
pe rs on a l ca r e m a r k e t r e port