DIC Enters Cosmetic and Nutraceuticals

Recently, DIC Corporation of Japan announced that the company will cooperate with Debut Biotech, an American synthetic biology start-up company, to start joint business development in the field of polyphenols, and the products will be used in the cosmetics and nutrition industries. DIC and Debut will begin construction of a biomanufacturing facility in the United States in 2023 and will initiate global sales in the cosmetics sector through DIC's distribution network in 2024.

It is reported that Debut is a vertically integrated synthetic biology company at the forefront of advanced biomanufacturing technology, with excellent enzyme discovery and design technologies, and advanced biomanufacturing platforms using these enzymes. This enables Debut to selectively and stably produce many rare natural organic compounds, and its partners also cover customers ranging from fine chemicals to pharmaceuticals. After the cooperation, DIC and Debut will jointly produce and sell polyphenols, which have become more and more popular in recent years, for cosmetics and health products.

Polyphenols are a class of natural organic compounds commonly found in plants, including catechins, anthocyanins, curcumin, quercetin, and resveratrol. Because polyphenols have strong antioxidant properties, they are mostly used in cosmetics and health products. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the polyphenols market is worth $2 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $16.52 billion by 2029. Polyphenols have promising properties, but commercialization still faces major challenges due to low yields and various cost considerations, DIC said. Debut's proprietary bio-manufacturing technology overcomes these issues and will easily meet the expectations of cosmetic brand owners and consumers for sustainable ingredients and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.