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Nov 08, 2024

The new-gen answer to beauty’s peptide problem | Vogue Business

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At first glance, the beauty sector’s approach to sustainability may seem convincing. Though if you wade through the herds of brands preaching ethical operations and sustainability credentials, the picture grows unclear.

When it comes to ingredients-led beauty, there are often deep-rooted supply chain issues centred around sustainability. Peptides, for instance, an ingredients group commonly marketed as ‘vegan’ or ‘cruelty-free’, derive from petroleum feedstock and artificial chemicals, meaning production methods can cause significant environmental harm while contributing to increased carbon emissions.

Analysts expect the demand for peptide-based skincare products to grow exponentially. According to a recent study by market research firm Fact.Mr, the global peptides market is anticipated to grow by almost 6 per cent year-on-year, reaching an approximate value of $426 million by 2034. The release of Hailey Beiber’s Peptide Lip Tints for her cult beauty brand Rhode back in April underscores the mounting desire — demand was so hot that, by launch, more than 400,000 people had signed up to the product wait list.

Finding a viable replacement for such key skincare ingredients is no mean feat. As brands revise production lines, the challenges continue to build for balancing sustainability with efficacy. New ingredients need to be fully traceable as well as naturally and ethically sourced. However, if successful, implementing a solution that can aggregate all these requirements reaps numerous benefits, hedging the supply chain against future shocks, competitor innovation and consumer pressure.

Evolved by Nature, the life sciences company specialising in Activated Silk™ peptides, is aiming to do just that. Through its transformation of industry waste into high-quality and sustainable bioactive peptides, the biotech firm is tapping into the diverse demands of the current beauty landscape — beyond product.

According to sustainability rating platform Good on You, 80 per cent of brands do not disclose their emissions-reduction progress. Almost 80 per cent have no certification to prove they’re cruelty-free, and while 15 per cent offer refillable products, only 2 per cent track repeat purchases — raising doubts about how effective the initiative is in making sustainable progress.

While this bleak approach to sustainability — characterised by minimal transparency and seemingly lukewarm motivation — may have worked in the past, consumers and legislators alike are paying closer attention to environmental and ethical practices. Across the 3,000 global beauty consumers surveyed for the Vogue Business Beauty Index earlier this year, 60 per cent say a brand’s climate policies are important when shopping for beauty and skincare, while 65 per cent agree that a brand’s other environmental policies (including waste reduction and ethical sourcing) are important when purchasing the category. And, for many brands in the industry, this discernment remains a pitfall, because their environmental, social and governance credentials often don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny.

When it comes to peptides, the Vogue Business Beauty Trend Tracker is clear on what consumers want. Analysis of the fastest-growing skincare ingredients found that searches for copper peptides at The Ordinary and Drunk Elephant’s Protini Polypeptide Cream reflect an interest in advanced and innovative skincare solutions that are natural yet effective. Unsurprisingly, brands that have cultivated credibility for natural ingredients, as well as cruelty-free products that offer transparency to shoppers, are among those thriving.

“With an innovative approach, it’s possible to replace many of the synthetic peptides, petrochemical ingredients and other chemicals used in today’s beauty products with naturally sourced materials,” says Evolved by Nature CEO and co-founder Greg Altman.

The company’s starting point is discarded silkworm pods. This cruelty-free process takes advantage of industry waste, upcycling the silkworm cocoons and using the byproduct of the sericulture — or silk farming — industry as its raw material. Evolved by Nature purifies and engineers different parts of the silk protein and turns it into high-quality and sustainable bioactive peptides, resulting in an Activated Silk™ biotechnology that can then be deployed across a wide range of beauty products.

It’s a system that works by unlocking the natural potential of discarded cocoons. In some formulations, Evolved by Nature uses elements of the silk protein as an active ingredient, for instance, by extracting the natural proteins from silk and using their innate properties to create skin creams that reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In other cases, the Activated Silk™ platform can be used to create hydrogels that offer similar hydration properties to hyaluronic acid and also function as powerful emulsifiers in skin and haircare. The properties of silk derivatives are then employed to give products their texture, enabling brands using bioactive peptides to create organic and effective gel-based solutions.

The company’s goal is to provide a solution to one of the most urgent, but least discussed, challenges for the wider cosmetics and fashion industry: the reliance on harmful or environmentally unsustainable chemicals and manufacturing processes in a bid to meet the demand for ingredients or materials such as peptides. For brands looking to switch their peptide providers, Altman says, Evolved by Nature makes a compelling alternative. “Activated Silk™ 33B-a, our first peptide, is Natrue-certified [ensuring it is 100 per cent natural].”

“These bioactive peptides come from silk, which is a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to synthetic ingredients,” says Michael Cimo, managing director of Bellus Labs, which is currently in the process of launching a luxury range of skincare products based on Evolved by Nature’s silk-based bioactive peptides. “Activated Silk™ peptides also deliver the benefits ceramides and artificial peptides do not, by optimising the skin’s inherent barrier function through bioactivation to improve moisture retention and overall skin texture. Using Activated Silk™ peptides benefits the environment and the customer.”

Cosmetics labs can use Evolved by Nature’s silk-based bioactive peptides to replace several key beauty ingredients. The first, Activated Silk™ 33B-a is a water-soluble bioactive peptide that activates the natural production of claudin, the protein that binds the top layers of skin together. The next, Activated Silk™ 27P-a, supports the production of Type 1 collagen, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The third is Activated Silk™ 8A-a, which is an active ingredient that reduces hyperpigmentation and brightens skin, contributing to an even-looking complexion. In replacing these, Evolved by Nature fosters the health of the natural skin barrier, promoting hydration and protecting against visible ageing.

So far, the company has developed a barrier alternative, a retinol replacement and a targeted solution to reduce hyperpigmentation; the company also claims that its bioactive peptide, derived from Activated Silk™ 27P-a, is the only natural pro-collagen peptide on the market. “We build our bioactive peptides using sustainable Activated Silk™ technology. Any product you use them in becomes more sustainable, depending on other verifiable elements and processes,” says Altman.

“For 10 years, our entire mission has been to help the beauty industry improve the health of people and the planet by contributing to the circular economy.”

In terms of what’s in the works, the CEO says there are two further skincare innovations making their way through the development stages, and are expected to go to market by the end of the year. “Subsequent peptides are in the process of gaining certification, which we fully expect them to achieve,” he says, echoing the company’s wider objective. “For 10 years, our entire mission has been to help the beauty industry improve the health of people and the planet by contributing to the circular economy.”

Sourcing materials that meet performance requirements and are evidently sustainable is the first step towards future-proofing the beauty industry. The next step? Demonstrating sustainable and ethical practices across the full breadth of the supply chain.

Pressure is mounting for manufacturers to shine light on ethical labour practices, demonstrate that products are sustainable and cruelty-free, and document their contributions to meeting the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Brands that can do this — and switch to environmentally sustainable inputs — will have a competitive advantage, now and in the future.

Evolved by Nature has worked hard to ensure compliance with increasing regulation. “Evolved by Nature has been validated as contributing to the achievement of eight of the 17 UN SDGs,” says Altman. “Not only does our help reduce emissions and the use of unsustainable plastics and chemicals, but the social elements of the SDGs — such as achieving gender equality and implementing good working practices — are woven into our company’s structure, our hiring practices, materials sourcing and approach to product development.” These values resonate strongly with consumers, too. In the latest Vogue Business Beauty Index, over 60 per cent of global consumers place importance on a brand’s climate policies, but ensuring a brand pays its workers a living wage throughout the entirety of its supply chain, takes precedence at 68 per cent.

Evolved by Nature raised $120 million in its recent series C funding round, led by Teachers Venture Growth, and is backed by leading brands such as Chanel. The biotech company is part of the latest wave of innovators that are developing products designed to put fashion and beauty on a sustainable footing. Its bioactive peptides have the potential to help not just the cosmetics sector, but also the broader fashion and beauty industry, meet their sustainability and social-responsibility targets and commitments.

“Incorporating Activated Silk™ allowed us to meet rising demand for natural, high-performance ingredients while still delivering the luxurious quality our clients expect,” explains Bellus Labs’s Cimo. “Using the sustainable and high-quality ingredients Evolved by Nature has developed aligns with our mission to blend scientific innovation with sustainability, creating products that deliver exceptional results while staying true to our core values and ethos.”

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