Algenist, a market leader in plant-based skincare products, has announced a strategic R&D agreement with Checkerspot, a materials innovation company focused on microalgae-derived materials and ingredients. The collaborative teams will focus on bringing advanced products to the skincare market.
Algenist was founded in 2011 under the guidance of now Checkerspot CEO and co-founder, Charles Dimmler; and Scott Franklin, Checkerspot Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder. The company was born out of a biotech ingredient discovery, with their patented Alguronic Acid from microalgae, which has continued to drive innovation in the marketplace. Algenist LLC, is wholly owned by Tengram Capital Partners; the company was acquired from Solazyme in 2017.
Established in 2016, Checkerspot designs performance materials and ingredients at a molecular level. It does this by optimizing microbes to biomanufacture unique oils produced in nature, but not previously accessible at a commercial scale.
Algenist and Checkerspot have maintained a deep-rooted alliance in bringing strains of microalgae materials into the beauty marketplace. With this new collaboration, Checkerspot will serve as Algenist’s R&D team. The research will employ Checkerspot’s WING™ platform: researching, conceptualizing, developing and commercializing microalgae materials and technologies.
“We are continually leveraging algae and plants to bring new materials and technologies to life,” said Algenist CEO Rose Fernandez. “Biotechnology enables us to imagine our future. The ability to produce regenerative ingredients in the lab, utilizing a greener manufacturing process, is critical. By partnering with the best in microalgae science, we are focused on renovating long-used and somewhat outdated technologies that will be introduced into the world of personal care in the near future.”
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