dsm-firmenich unveils yeast-derived biotech hair care ingredient

dsm-firmenich has launched Bond Aid, a hair care ingredient tackling damage from heat, UV rays, and environmental stressors. It is created with the biotech innovation OXY 229 CB, designed to restore hair integrity and vitality.  

“Hair is under constant attack from everything your body is exposed to — sun, pollution, diet, sleep, and stress,” says Fabrice Guillemard, director of marketing for Beauty & Care at dsm-firmenich.  

“With Bond Aid, we’re addressing hair repair in a more holistic, science-backed way — leveraging biotechnology and peptide innovation to meet real-world consumer needs.”

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Bond Aid is formulated with three advanced formulation trends. It is keratin binding, which strengthens the hair fiber from within. It taps into oxygenating scalp care, improving the scalp’s vitality and wellness. Lastly, it is created using sustainable peptides derived from yeast.

“Biotechnology has been identified as a strategic technology for reducing the chemical industry’s dependence on fossil resources,” Mathilde Allegre, global sustainability manager at Lubrizol, recently told Personal Care Insights.

Allegre said biotechnology and lab-grown ingredients are the most transformative technologies in the active ingredients field. For the cosmetics industry, fermented ingredients represent over 20% of the total active ingredient market.

It is keratin binding, which strengthens the hair fiber from within.dsm-firmenich says its new product delivers a high performance at a concentration of 1% and works for both rinse-off and leave-on formulations. It is made from baker’s yeast with rapeseed-derived glycerin and is 98.17% natural.

“Bond Aid exemplifies a modern approach to effective and eco-conscious hair repair with visible transformation from the first use,” says the company. 

dsm-firmenich assessed the structural and functional characteristics with molecular modelling performed on a subset of 19 peptides for their binding interactions with keratin. 

“These molecular simulations revealed a novel ability to target hair fibers on interior levels, enabling multi-dimensional structural repair,” says the ingredients company. 

At 1% concentration, it showed a 22% improvement in tensile strength after one use. For scalp health, it showed a 750% increase in oxygen intake and a 10% boost in cell viability.

In terms of sustainability profile, the company says it maintains complete supply-chain control. “The ingredient is free from palm-oil derivatives and its profile shows a carbon footprint of 0.55 kg CO2-equivalent per kg, water footprint of 0.65, and is readily biodegradable.”