Symrise has established a strategic partnership with Cutech Srl to develop innovative cosmetic active ingredients based on microalgae. Cutech Srl is an Italian biotech company that researches dysfunctions of the skin and hair. Specifically, it specializes in the development of preclinical screening assays and on the discovery of innovative actives.
Symrise and Cutech have collaborated since 2003 in biotissue engineering. Through this cooperation, the two have developed a method for the long term organ culture of pig skin, by which researchers succeeded in preserving the tissue for up to three weeks. According to Symrise, the resulting skin model closely resembled the natural human skin, providing an opportunity to test the efficacy of active cosmetic ingredients in vitro. The production of the organ culture of pig skin was seen by the companies as an alternative to animal tests ans synthetically generated skin models.
The two began their new focus in January 2007. The partnership reportedly allows Symrise to continue to expand its core competence in natural active ingredients that are derived from sustainable resources.
