Engineered Pichia pastoris producing collagen with no animal involved.
Get the Discover digest
Receive a weekly email digest of the latest cosmetic biotechnology solutions added by the network.Discover innovations in cosmetic biotechnology
Get the Discover digest
Receive a weekly email digest of the latest cosmetic biotechnology solutions added by the network.Browse 686 solutions in biotechnology in cosmetics on the Halo network
Updated Sept 30, 2026
Biotechnology in cosmetics covers making a cosmetic ingredient with an organism. On Halo, the solutions cover proteins and peptides made by fermentation, biopolymers as the material, fermented ingredients replacing a commodity, and microbiome and postbiotic actives. Sign up to search the full network and post your specific need.
Proteins and peptides made by fermentation

Defined Bioscience, Inc
Recombinant precursors plus engineered proline hydroxylases, animal-free.
Renaissance BioScience
S. cerevisiae producing high-purity peptides at a cost that works.
Plant polypeptides for collagen support, also producible by fermentation.
Adhesion motifs taken from marine molluscs, elastin and silk, bound to keratin.
NK
Enloq Foundry
Peptides generated computationally for cosmetic actives, not therapeutics.
A vegan silk polypeptide forming a barrier and carrying ketoconazole through it.
Biopolymers as the material
Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology
A bacterial polymer with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action built in.
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
A bacterial polysaccharide giving UVA and UVB protection at low loading.
ZF
Arizona State University
Bacterial cellulose grown into a hydrocolloid lip patch, at industrial scale.
A bio-based PHA copolymer offered in place of silicone elastomer, biodegradable.
Chulalongkorn University
Polyhydroxybutyrate beads that open at a target pH, and biodegrade after.
NTP R&D Services Ltd
Electrospun nanofiber film that dissolves the active onto the skin.
Sign up free to search the full network and post your specific need.
Already have an account?
Who is working on biotechnology in cosmetics
Organizations in biotechnology in cosmetics
Universities, startups, and suppliers with solutions in cosmetic biotechnology.
Cosmetic biotechnology companiesInnovators in biotechnology in cosmetics
Researchers and inventors advancing cosmetic biotechnology.
Cosmetic biotechnology expertsAbout biotechnology in cosmetics
Collagen and peptides are where most of the work on Halo sits, produced by engineered Pichia, S. cerevisiae or designed from scratch by a model. Beside them are bacterial biopolymers used as the material itself, and a set of fermented ingredients written against a specific commodity. On Halo it spans five groups, including proteins and peptides made by fermentation, biopolymers as the material, and fermented ingredients replacing a commodity.
Stage of development. Work on biotechnology in cosmetics on Halo comes mostly from companies. 46% of the solutions are in market. Co-development and licensing are the usual partnering routes, and about 43% of the solutions that state terms offer supply and purchase.
Three trends in cosmetic biotechnology on Halo
Animal-free collagen, four ways. Engineered Pichia pastoris expressing collagen and its supporting proteins, recombinant precursors paired with engineered proline hydroxylases, S. cerevisiae producing peptides at cost, and a plant-derived polypeptide that can also be fermented. Animal-free is the requirement; which organism carries it is the open question.
The organism makes the material, not just the active. Six entries grow the substance itself. A bacterial polysaccharide with UVA and UVB protection at low loading, another with antioxidant action built into the polymer, bacterial cellulose grown into a lip patch, and a PHA copolymer offered in place of silicone elastomer. The biology is not producing an ingredient to formulate; it is producing the formulation.
Manufacturability is the bottleneck. Four entries do nothing for skin at all. A fusion protein architecture reaching 90% purity with no chromatography step, extremophile-inspired stabilization so cells and proteins store dry at ambient, large lipid bodies as a carrier past liposomes, and a platform for finding and stabilizing bioactive RNA. Biology that cannot be purified or shipped never becomes a cosmetic.
Frequently asked questions
What is cosmetic biotechnology?
Biotechnology in cosmetics covers making a cosmetic ingredient with an organism. It spans proteins and peptides produced by engineered yeast or designed computationally, biopolymers and biomaterials grown by bacteria, fermented ingredients offered in place of a commodity such as palm oil or a synthetic pigment, microbiome and postbiotic actives, and the purification and stabilization work that decides whether any of it can be manufactured.
What are examples of cosmetic biotechnology?
Five examples of cosmetic biotechnology solutions on Halo include:
- Engineered Pichia pastoris producing collagen with no animal involved. (BioGrammatics)
- A bacterial polymer with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action built in. (Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology)
- Precision fermentation on agro-industrial waste, aimed at palm derivatives. (Terra Oleo)
- An engineered postbiotic doing skin repair and antibacterial work at once. (Eligo Bioscience)
- A fusion protein architecture reaching 90% purity with no chromatography. (Airobes, LLC)
What are the latest cosmetic biotechnology innovations?
The most recently updated cosmetic biotechnology solutions on Halo include:
Which companies and suppliers are developing cosmetic biotechnology?
There are 624 organizations with cosmetic biotechnology solutions on Halo, 61 of them universities and research institutions. Among them are BioGrammatics, Defined Bioscience, Inc, Renaissance BioScience, and caykur. Most offer co-development or licensing. Sign up to see every organization working in the area and to send them your specific need.
How do I find cosmetic biotechnology research partners?
Browsing cosmetic biotechnology solutions on Halo is free. Sign up to search the full network and save the ones you want. Post your specific need to get exact matches. Organizations reply directly on the platform.
What are R&D teams looking for in cosmetic biotechnology?
Over the past 12 months, R&D teams on Halo have posted these cosmetic biotechnology needs:
Confirm digest type





