Vytrus Biotech secures €575K gov funding for “cutting-edge” dermocosmetic technologies
31 Oct 2023 --- The Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), a part of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, has awarded biotechnology company Vytrus Biotech €575,000 (US$612,000) in funding to develop new technologies for dermocosmetics.
The active ingredients specialist plans to use the funding to create technology platforms for developing hybrid active ingredients that enhance human health and well-being.
“This research project will be of great help for Vytrus Biotech to continue to maintain the high level of innovation and allow, at the same time, to diversify the company’s portfolio of high-efficiency, sustainable and innovative products with new technologies,” comments Albert Jané, CEO and co-founder of Vytrus Biotech.
Funding for innovating ten new ingredients
From the funding, €137,000 (US$146,000) is a non-reimbursable subsidy, with the remainder structured as a long-term loan.
The funding has been co-financed by the Next Generation Funds through the European Regional Development Fund of the EU.
The Photobiome creates a new sun-microbiota-skin axis (Image credit: Vytrus Biotech).
Vytrus Biotech shares that it allocates approximately 20% of its annual turnover to research, development and innovation activities.
Currently, the company markets 19 products globally, and its strategic plan aims to introduce ten new ingredients over the next four years.
Harnessing botanical stem cell activity
As a result of R&D investments, Vytrus Biotech created high-value active ingredients for the cosmetic and healthcare sectors.
It highlights one notable product, Photobiome, derived from the stem cells of cotton and pomegranate plants for mitigating skin aging signs resulting from sun exposure. The ingredient is a prebiotic active that activates skin bacteria to release its photo-defense molecules to protect itself and combat photoaging.
Photobiome preserves the skin’s microbiota and enhances its health through a particular mechanism, which has earned Photobiome’s recognition at trade shows, including in-cosmetics Korea and in-cosmetics Latin America.
The innovation has generated interest in an emergent field — the “sun-microbiota-skin axis” — a category consisting of microbial antioxidants that open novel pathways to fight skin photoaging.
In other recent dermocosmetic funding news, clinical-stage biotechnology company DermBiont gained US$35.2 million in a Series B funding round for advancing dermatological skin cream.
Edited by Venya Patel
