NYSCC Suppliers’ Day 2026: Mibelle Biochemistry talks biotech actives shaping personal care
22 May 2026 | Mibelle Biochemistry
Fred Zülli, founder of Mibelle Biochemistry, shared insights on the company’s latest biotech-derived innovations showcased at Suppliers’ Day 2026. He highlighted how the company’s actives meet North American consumer demands for efficacy and sustainability. Zülli also discussed eco-responsible development, emerging opportunities for biotech ingredients in personal care, and how the recent Solabia acquisition will shape R&D and strategy for Mibelle Biochemistry.
This is Sabina Waldeck for Personal Care Insights at New York Suppliers Day joined by founder Dr.
Fred Zulli of Nobel Biochemistry.
Welcome.
So your portfolio often focuses on biotech derived actives.
What is the key innovation you're presenting here?
Yes, our company is focusing on biotechnology, and at this show we are launching our new ingredients called epi Snow.
This is an ingredient which is based on a snow algae.
So the snow algae grows on snow in a green form, and when it reaches the surface of the snow, it turns from green to red to protect itself against the strong UV radiation.
And then when the snow completely melts, the algae falls to the ground, survives the whole summer there.
Then next winter comes the snow on top.
The algae wakes, gets green again, grows off the snow, becomes red again, and that's the whole cycle.
So what we did, we isolated the algae of the snow, we bring it back to our lab, and then we can grow it by biotechnology in the same way, meaning we grow it first in a green form.
Then we intensify the light, we take away the nutrients, and then it turns red in our photobioreactors.
Then we make an extract, and this is our new launch.
The activity of this product is an epigenetic effect, so it will delay the epigenetic aging of the skin.
And what would you identify as key wants from North American beauty consumers and how do your actives address them?
I think the cosmetic industry is a fast moving industry.
The consumers are looking for more new innovative stories, products, and applications, and our company is focusing on biotechnology based on inspired by nature, realized by science, so that we can develop nice new concepts.
So we started with the stem cell cosmetics already in 2008.
We went to.
Cell tech where we can grow moss, protonamma cells, and now we can grow snow algae again to deliver a new story, the epigenetic aging and sustainability is top of mind for formulators.
How do your biotech ingredients support eco-responsible development?
I think there are always interesting sources available in nature, but these resources are very difficult.
To bring in big volumes to the market, so biotechnology is a good idea to do that so that we can take plant material, algae, whatever, bring it into the laboratory, and then growing it into an independent way with technology.
So this is, I think, a very good sustainable contribution to the market.
And looking ahead, where do you see the next major opportunity for biotech actives in personal care?
I think biotechnology has now been applied for several years in the industry, but I think you're still at the tip of the iceberg.
There's much more to do.
There's much more technology available.
I think what is a little bit difficulty about this biotechnology is its cost, so you must really create added value ingredients because the cost of biotechnology is usually quite high.
And so it needs new stories, new, really interesting molecules to bring it with this technology to the market, and then I think we will see interesting new things coming up in the future.
And then lastly, with your recent acquisition by Solabia, how will your R&D or market strategy change for global and North American customers?
Yes, we have been acquired by Salavio Group, and I see there a big opportunity to join forces in R&D.
They have different R&D centers.
We have in R&D centers, and by combining these strategies and this collaboration, I think we will be able to bring faster, newer concepts to the market and also offer new innovations to the industry.
