Cosmetic ingredients to result from synthetic DNA deal between Gen9 and Amyris

07-Jun-2016 - Last updated on 08-Jun-2016 at 16:08 GMT

Gene synthesis company Gen9 has agreed to supply the renewable molecule and ingredient maker Amyris with synthetic DNA constructs, which will be used to engineer new ingredients for use by the personal care and beauty industries.

Amyris does quite a bit in the beauty sector. For instance, the company has a try-before-you-buy program that lets cosmetics makers test out biotech ingredients without a full-scale commitment. “Our Pathways Program provides partners with a unique and advantaged opportunity to access cutting-edge technologies that are at the forefront of bioengineering to explore the development of new materials with little upfront risk,” John Melo, president and CEO at Amyris, told the press early this year.

The company has also made headlines with its Neossance Squalane product, which (to oversimplify it) is made by feeding sugar to yeast. Cosmetics Design covered the launch of that emollient as well as the company’s distribution partnership with Contém 1G.

Beauty from biotech

And now, synthetic DNA supplied by Gen9 will be used to develop new ingredients from botanicals.

“Amyris is developing a wide range of innovative products with their platform, from plant-derived cosmetic ingredients, to renewable lubricants, to novel biopharmaceuticals,” affirms Kevin Munnelly, president and CEO of Gen9, in a joint press release.

By using components from nature to manufacture bio-identical ingredients, the company hopes to create a sustainable supply of materials for the beauty industry to formulate with that meet consumer expectations and that are economically and environmentally responsible at the same time.

DNA is a necessity

“A fast, reliable source of high-quality synthetic DNA constructs is an essential component of our microbial engineering platform for the production of high value molecules,” Joel Cherry, president of R&D at Amyris, tells the press.

So, this deal with Gen9 is a valuable one: “With the DNA synthesis throughput and economics that Gen9 offers, we are able to engineer and test new strains more cost effectively, using them to rapidly identify the highest-performing microbes and allowing us to bring sustainable products to market more quickly,” says Cherry.

For Gen9 the new partnership is an extension of the company’s MAP program, which is supported by BioFab DNA synthesis technology.