Biotech company Amyris launches FDA-regulated, sugarcane-derived squalane

08-Feb-2018 - Last updated on 13-Feb-2018 at 20:41 GMT

Related tags Biotech company amyris Biotechnology

The cosmetics, personal care, and fragrance ingredient maker has just announced the availability of a pharmaceutical grade of its bio-based squalane. Having a USP certified ingredient not only opens up the pharma market for Amyris but also bolsters the company’s reputation in the sustainable ingredient space overall.

A joint venture between Amyris and NIKKOL made this ingredient launch possible. The two companies formally joined forces as Aprinnova late last year, as Cosmetics Design reported.

“NIKKOL has been involved in the sugarcane-based squalane business since the product’s inception by Amyris and we believe this is an opportune time to join forces,” remarked Shizuo Ukaji, president and CEO of Nikko Chemical (the central company of the NIKKOL Group), adding that, “By working together, we believe the additional financial, marketing, innovation, and business development synergies will lead to a significant expansion in market applications.”

Case in point

This new launch is clearly one such application.

“We are very pleased to have met the USP and NF requirements, which showcases our adherence to a philosophy of manufacturing and distributing the highest performance, sustainable products through a best-in-class production process,” acknowledges Caroline Hadfield, senior vice president of personal care at Amyris, in a media release.

Hadfield goes on to say that, “We are delighted to provide a sustainable and naturally-sourced squalane to this important new market for Aprinnova while providing our customers and their end market customers with non-animal, cruelty-free high-performance ingredients for a growing variety of products.”

Industry shift

As biotech is increasingly common, formulators and regulators are compensating for the new ingredients.

“Neossance Squalane USP is derived from biotechnology via the fermentation of sugar cane and meets the newly modified definition in Squalane Monograph USP41-NF36, which now includes ‘Squalane, derived from ß-farnesene, a fermentation product of plant-sugars’. The Standard USP36 General Notices and Requirements establishes a February 1st, 2018 implementation date for marketing,” as marketing materials for the ingredient explain.

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.