Arizona scientists develop sugar-based surfactants for cosmetics
This new platform technology is for the unique chemical synthesis of families of environmentally-friendly surfactants - biosurfactants, which are non-toxic and used as “green” replacements for petroleum-based alternatives.
Biosurfactants are used in numerous industries including cosmetics and personal care products, as well as in environmental applications such as cleaning up oil spills or enhanced oil recovery.
Prominent researchers behind the technology that is now ready to go to market includes the University's Cliff Coss, Jeanne E. Pemberton and Robin Polt along with Raina M. Maier of the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
'Technology will be applied in cosmeceuticals arena'
According to the GlycoSurf team; biosurfactants produced today are generally labor-intensive, very expensive, and low in purity.
“We produce sugar-based bio-inspired surfactants, such as rhamnolipids, which are more than 95 percent pure (often 99% pure), yet our process is significantly more cost-effective and scalable for large production volumes than current methods,” says Chett Boxley, Ph.D., MBA, and new CEO of the company.
“Initially, we’re going to focus on the cosmeceutical space. That includes products like anti-aging creams and sunscreens," he adds.
The global surfactants market is expected to generate revenues of more than $41bn by 2018, then continue to grow by 4.5 percent each year.
About GlycoSurf
GlycoSurf, founded in 2013 based on technology licensed from the University of Arizona, is a specialty chemical company that focuses on the manufacture of novel, environmentally-friendly, bioinspired glycolipid surfactants.
Having developed this technology, GlycoSurf needed a lab for its 7-foot reactor to test and prove its manufacturing process. For that, the team brought their operations to the UA Tech Park, operated by Tech Parks Arizona, also a unit of TLA.
From there, they worked with TLA on developing their product strategy, using proof-of-concept funding to prepare their early-stage technology for market. Most recently, TLA has also provided business intelligence to help further hone the company’s strategy.
