Uruguayan scientists created a cosmetics brand that cares for the skin microbiome

"At Cryosmetics we do a lot of things, but what we do most is science". This is how this new brand of 100% natural cosmetics developed by a multidisciplinary team of scientists and entrepreneurs led by the biotechnologist with a PhD in Biological Sciences, Vanessa Piattoni, and the business administrator with an emphasis on marketing, Federico Ciappina, is presented, which aims to care for and treat the skin microbiome.

And what is this? It is the millions of microorganisms - bacteria, fungi and viruses - that inhabit the skin in perfect harmony (with a 1 to 10 ratio with human cells) and which are being increasingly affected by the current pace of city life and the constant use of chemical products. Their neglect or destruction has not only aesthetic effects, but also health and immunological effects for the person.

The idea came from Piattoni about three years ago. "I always wanted to develop 100% natural products to take care of the skin, but designed with reasoning, analysis and a solid scientific basis," he told El País.

So, after two years of research and testing, he selected a series of raw materials, some national and some imported, that have a favorable impact on the skin's microbiome.

Cryosmetics products use raw materials that are favorable to the microbiome, such as vegetable oils from different types of seeds, honey, beeswax, physical sunscreens and extracts from dried plants, such as chamomile, calendula or hibiscus. For this, they work with the advice of the doctor in Biological Sciences and expert in microbiome, Gregorio Iraola.

"In addition to being 100% natural, the products are made in a way that does not require preservatives and have no dyes or fragrances," he said.

Launch

The startup was born in 2019 with the support of the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII) and in 2020 was incorporated into the portfolio of GridX, a business accelerator that provides funding to biotechnology entrepreneurs. The total seed capital was US$ 250 thousand.

Cryosmetics was finally launched last Friday, initially with five products for daily skin care: three facial products (a cleanser, a day oil and a night oil) and two body products (an oil and a cleanser).

They are suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

"In the future, what we are looking for is not to increase the amount of products that the person has to apply on the skin; we want to keep a minimalist line, that the care routine has few steps. What we will do is diversify the formulas so that they can be adjusted to the more specific needs of certain skin types," announced Piattoni.

All the information about the brand can be consulted on the website cryosmetics.com, which is the channel through which its products are marketed, in addition to its social networks. Other sales alternatives will be studied later on. As for the prices that are handled, its creator pointed out that they are in line with what is offered.

"It is a line that we call premium in the sense that we look a lot at the quality of the raw materials we use and the packaging. We use black glass and aluminum containers that can be recycled and we are looking to develop alliances or ways to recover them and take them to recycling places," she said.

As a long-term plan they have in mind a big data and artificial intelligence project to develop a tool to predict what is the best cosmetic formula to care for a specific skin type. "We look at skin care from a scientific perspective. It's both exciting and challenging work," he noted.

The brand offers a microbiome test

For those who purchase the complete facial kit, Cryosmetics is giving away a microbiome test. For this, a sample is taken from the surface of the skin with a moist, sterile cotton swab and analyzed by applying genomic sequencing technologies. This is performed in scientific institutions by experts in the field.

This test seeks to measure the impact of changing skin care routines, both on the skin's appearance and its microbiome. "These studies are of scientific validity but are not of a medical diagnostic nature and do not constitute clinical or effectiveness studies," they clarify.

Source: El País