ÄIO and Tilk expand skin care range with fermentation-derived ingredients

Estonian biotechnology company ÄIO and skin care brand Tilk have jointly unveiled a Skin Booster Face Cream containing two ÄIO fermentation-derived cosmetic ingredients, Fermira RedOil and ZymaLipid Complex.

The launch joins a growing list of ingredients sourced from biotechnological origins that have progressed through development, testing, and formulation into market-ready end products. The skin care product combines two ÄIO ingredients in one finished formulation, demonstrating how fermentation-derived lipids can move from biotechnology development into everyday skin care.

According to the companies, the new cream goes “one step further” than their previous launch of the Skin Booster Bio-Fermented Serum, which was slated as “one of the first examples” where fermentation-derived oils from side-streams are integrated into a finished cosmetic product on the market.

“Moving from the serum to a richer face cream created an opportunity to demonstrate that ÄIO’s fermentation platform can provide more than one type of cosmetic ingredient and that these ingredients can work together in a finished formulation,” ÄIO co-founder, CEO, Dr. Nemailla Bonturi, tells Personal Care Insights.

“The two ingredients have different but complementary roles. Fermira RedOil is a fermentation-derived active emollient containing naturally occurring carotenoids and other bioactive compounds, while ZymaLipid Complex is a high-purity fatty acid complex based on linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids. It contributes emollience, structure, and sensory properties to the formulation.”

Before its commercial launch, the Skin Booster Bio-Fermented Face Cream with ÄIO RedOil, ZymaLipid Complex, and Bakuchiol was shortlisted for the European Natural Beauty Awards 2026, an international recognition program for natural cosmetics.

Building on a solid foundation

The cooperation between ÄIO and Tilk began years before the first product reached the market. Tilk was among the early companies to formulate with RedOil while the ingredient was still under development. 

Tilk founder and CEO Pille Lengi says, “The collaboration required patience as initially only a small amount of the new oil was available for testing.” The first commercial product became available after several years of ingredient development, laboratory testing, documentation, and formulation work.

Lengi stresses the importance of cooperation between science and product development when creating something innovative in the skin care space: “If you want to innovate and create something completely new, you need to work with scientists.” 

Harnessing the power of bioactives

The latest face cream combines Fermira RedOil and ZymaLipid Complex. The result is a rich but fast-absorbing face cream designed to support hydration, skin comfort, elasticity, and the skin barrier.

The new Skin Booster Face Cream brings Fermira RedOil and ZymaLipid Complex together in a commercial skin care formulation.

“When working with new biotechnology-derived ingredients, the key task is to understand how they behave within a complete formulation rather than evaluating them only in isolation. In this case, the formulation needed to balance a rich, nourishing lipid phase with the fast absorption and pleasant sensory profile expected from a modern face cream,” says Bonturi.

“For a biotechnology company, success is achieved when our partners can formulate with it, manufacture with it, and ultimately create products that people want to use.”

Bonturi calls the new finished formulation a good example of why application development is important for novel ingredients. “Ultimately, an innovative ingredient needs to perform within a complete formulation, be compatible with other ingredients, and deliver the texture, stability, and sensory experience expected by both the formulator and consumer.”

Expanding internationally

ÄIO is also expanding the commercial reach of its cosmetics business internationally. 

The company currently offers three fermentation-derived COSMOS and Vegan certified cosmetic ingredients: Fermira RedOil, ZymaLipid Complex, and Encapsulated oil. These ingredients are commercially available through a network of distribution partners across key global markets. 

Spanning Europe, the UK, India, South Korea, the US, and Brazil, local distributors provide formulators, manufacturers, and beauty brands with access to ÄIO ingredients, technical expertise, and formulation support. 

This global reach will help move ÄIO’s biotechnology from ingredient development into real formulations and commercial products.

“Excellent science is only the beginning. A biotechnology ingredient becomes commercially relevant when it can be produced consistently at increasing scale, meet quality and regulatory requirements, work in real formulations, and be supplied at a commercially viable cost,” concludes Bonturi.

“For wider adoption of fermentation-derived cosmetic ingredients, the industry needs more than a sustainability story. Formulators need reliable performance, predictable quality, regulatory documentation, technical support, sufficient volumes, and competitive economics.”