PARIS – Danish biotech company Cellugy has raised 8.1 million euros from the European Union to eliminate microplastics in personal care products and to use a biobased alternative instead.
Cellugy’s Biocare4life project received the grant from the Life program, an EU funding branch supporting projects backing environmental and climate action. The raise is to accelerate the production scale-up toward commercializing Cellugy’s biofabricated material platform, called EcoFlexy.
EcoFlexy Rheo is the platform’s debut product. It’s the first high-performance rheology modifier that’s totally biobased, biodegradable and competitively priced, according to Cellurgy, which is based in Søborg, Denmark. That is meant to give the personal care industry a good alternative to microplastics and fossil-based ingredients that are widely used.
“EcoFlexy is designed to replace fossil-based carbomers, known as harmful microplastics, significantly reducing environmental pollution and the use of hazardous chemicals in the cosmetics sector,” said Cellugy, in a statement.
“It delivers superior product performance and adaptable sensorial properties, along with scalable, operationally efficient manufacturing to meet the needs of a fast-evolving beauty industry focused on sustainability and innovation,” the company continued.
Many personal care products, such as facial scrubs and liquid soaps, can release microplastics, adding to environmental pollution.
“Recent research also suggests that microplatics can enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion or skin contact, raising questions about their potential impacts on human health,” said Cellurgy.
It explained rheology modifiers are essential to all personal care products, but that almost 70 percent of the 2.8-billion-euro rheology modifier market is dependent on fossil-based carbomers and acrylates, which are listed under the EU’s Reach regulation because of their persistent and toxic nature, said Celurgy.
Cellurgy aims to remove millions of contaminated beauty products fro the market annually.
Courtesy photo
“Through the Biocare4life project, EcoFlexy is positioned to prevent the release of 259 tons of microplastics annually by project completion, scaling dramatically to 1,289 tons per year by 2034, equivalent to removing millions of contaminated beauty products from the market each year,” said Cellurgy.
The company said the timing is key as reports suggest the beauty industry might lose around 12 billion euros because of the EU microplastic ban and U.S. restrictions on PFAS, or “forever chemicals.”
Challenges abound.
“An alternative material that simply aims to be more sustainable is not enough. The critical challenge is about delivering bio-based solutions that actually outperform petrochemicals in performance parameters like texture, functionality and user experience, while also being scalable and operationally efficient,” said Isabel Alvarez-Martos, chief executive officer and cofounder of Cellugy, in the statement.
“Good intentions won’t drive industry change. We need higher-quality alternatives like EcoFlexy that make it easier, not harder, for brands to choose sustainability,” she continued. “Only when bio-based materials match or exceed the performance and economics of traditional ingredients will we see the transformation needed to protect both human health and our planet.”
The Biocare4life project is to drive EcoFlexy’s scale-up process via the work of a specialist consortium of experts in biotech, sustainability and data management. These include The Footprint Firm, a consultancy focused on circular economy solutions and environmental impact validation, and Sci2sci, a startup focused on data management, machine learning and AI-driven process optimization.
“The project signals real progress toward more sustainable manufacturing in the personal care sector,” said Will Nunn, manager at The Footprint Firm. “The project’s combination of technical innovation and sustainability validation positions EcoFlexy very strongly for market adoption and supports the EU’s broader transition to a more resource-efficient economy.”
“Scaling a biotech solution is never simple, but it’s where the real value lies,” continued Angelina Lesnikova, Sci2sci CEO. “Together, we have the potential to make sustainable chemistry economically irresistible as well as environmentally essential.”
The funding is expected to back Cellugy’s scaling activities, process optimization and commercial validation over four years.