Earlier this year, CosmeticsDesign reported that biotech company Debut had secured $34 million in Series B funding from vested partners including L’Oréal’s venture capital fund BOLD. Earlier this month, the company announced its latest Series B funding round led by L’Oréal reached $40 million.
The company, which has previously focused on providing cosmetics and personal care product manufacturers with new ingredients that utilize its proprietary cell-free and advanced fermentation processes, will use some of the increased funding to expand into fragrances. It is planned to be used for Find out how Debut is pivoting to the development of new fragrance molecules, how the company is working to meet the needs of manufacturers in this field, and what it has done so far in the fragrance field. To learn more about the innovations made, CosmeticsDesign-USA (CDU) interviewed Joshua. Insights from Mr. Britton, Founder and CEO of Debut.
CDU: How does Debut leverage its proprietary biomanufacturing platform to develop novel, bioidentical fragrance molecules?
Joshua Britton (JB): The fragrance industry is at a critical juncture. On the one hand, consumer appetite for natural ingredients continues unabated, but on the other hand, the pressure on the planet’s dwindling natural resources is unsustainable. Add to that the massive use of petroleum-based synthetic fragrance ingredients, many of which are under threat of regulation, and you’re creating the perfect fragrance storm. Advanced biomanufacturing is the only solution that can scale to the fragrance industry’s consumption levels, producing allergen-free natural ingredients with the highest purity, quality and safety.
Debut’s unique advanced biomanufacturing allows us to create natural fragrance molecules that are impossible through fermentation or chemical synthesis. By using both cellular and enzyme catalysis in combination, we can create new biologically identical and complex fragrance molecules with innovative and improved performance.
The debut platform does not require cells and eliminates the slight odor caused by fermentation. (Obviously these odors prevent the fermentation process from producing aroma). Cell-free technology allows us to create beautiful, highly pure fragrance molecules that are sustainable and competitive over natural and synthetic alternatives.
CDU: Why did Debut decide to invest the extra funds into expanding fragrance development?
JB: Debut believes we are in the midst of a major transformation in the fragrance industry. Climate change is wreaking havoc on raw material sourcing, quality and pricing. High temperatures, drought, and unpredictable seasons affect crop and flower yields with devastating regularity.
Even the release of flowers’ scents is being compromised by global warming. A study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem showed that there is a correlation between increasing temperatures and decreasing floral scent emissions. In the European Union, natural ingredients are at risk of regulation, threatening the entire industry.
Only Debut’s unique advanced biomanufacturing can solve these deep-rooted problems. With 100% success in skin care, expanding biotechnology and leading the category, we are tackling the most pressing challenges in the fragrance industry, mainly due to the large number of requests we receive. We knew fragrance was the next big thing, but we were surprised by the speed and volume of requests from our clients.
In addition to ensuring a volatile supply chain of natural ingredients, companies and brands are increasingly pushing chemical-laden fragrance formulations to feature bio-identical ingredients that mirror the olfactory properties of the original formulation. We want to move quickly to bio-based formulations.
Companies are also calling on Debut to create new fragrance ingredients that take the perfume palette to a new level of artistry, and in doing so, build a moat of intellectual property around their work. . Even scent molecules that exist in nature in trace amounts can be replicated and scaled with our technology without touching or destroying nature.
It is clear that synthetic biology is the only solution for fragrances. Biotechnology-enabled ingredients are sustainable, high-performance, consistent, safe, allergen-free, scalable, and cost-effective. I am very proud and excited to be able to say that Debut is leading an industry transformation in the fragrance industry. So many companies want to join this biotech fragrance movement.
CDU: How does Debut work to meet the needs of fragrance manufacturers and solve the challenges these industries face when it comes to product formulation?
JB: In biotech, a lot of companies just focus on the science, the R&D lab part of making the raw materials, but you need a much larger infrastructure to ensure success. As a result, Debut has been a vertically integrated company since its inception. We are a product-forward company.
When companies work with Debut, we help screen, discover, and understand molecular properties (such as how scent changes over time), rank ingredients, and maximize the performance of ingredients in formulations. We offer the full range from ingredient discovery to biomanufacturing, including , and production. New claims supported by preclinical and clinical data. We know that companies come to us for products. It’s only natural that they have access to cutting-edge science.
CDU: What innovations has Debut made available in the fragrance space so far?
JB: Debut, which closed on more than $40 million in additional Series B funding in October, will use the funding to accelerate the development of novel bioidentical fragrance molecules and position them as the benchmark of excellence in the fragrance industry. Establishing our fragrance model. Debut is already working hard to solve our clients’ most difficult fragrance ingredient challenges.
Instead of using land, water, and expensive, unsustainable inputs associated with cultivation, we use biology to replicate the complex aroma molecules found in cultivated sources. It is working.
CDU: What are Debut’s plans for further innovation in the fragrance space?
JB: As a biotech beauty company with over 80% biologists, we are obsessed with the “how” and “why.” When it comes to scent, we study how bioactive scent molecules interact with the brain to produce various physiological effects and influence mood and mental health.
Debut aims to reinvent the scent category by creating new scent molecules with new scent benefits, all backed by science. Gone are the days of spraying expensive fragrances just to smell good, they can reset your mood, calm anxiety, banish stress, and even evoke a sense of optimism, all while being an absolute treat to the senses. It will be replaced by a high-performance formula that is a reward.
CDU: Is there anything else you would like to add?
JB: Debut’s ability to leverage science to recreate the olfactory properties of molecules containing some of the rarest and most valuable ingredients is a breakthrough for the fragrance industry. Biotechnology does more than just enable sustainability. It’s a game changer for perfumers and creativity. The debut has just begun to revolutionize fragrance’s potential to inspire, uplift and satisfy consumers.
