Venus Shell Systems opts to fund biomass venture with crowdfunding, and HPPY Skin brings products made using HPP to market.
💵🧪Crowdfunding Seaweed for Skincare
Venus Shell Systems, an Australia-based aquaculture company that produces biomass for use in food, nutraceuticals, and skincare, launched an equity crowdfunding campaign this month on the Swarmer platform.
Equity raised will be used to scale Venus Shell Systems (VSS) facilities as well as to further sales and market operations for the company.
“We are incredibly excited about impact we will make by scaling our seaweed ingredient production to meet global market needs,” says VSS CEO Dr. Pia Winberg, in her remarks to the press this week. “We believe that with the support of a savvy investment community, we can have a breakthrough impact on both the health of individuals and the health of our planet.” And she adds, that “The timing has never been more urgent.”
Her company’s land-based seaweed farm regenerates downstream carbon and nitrogen from a local wheat refinery. The trend towards regenerative ingredient sourcing and regenerative skincare is emerging around the world—it’s something I personally am keeping a close watch on.
VSS has its own line of personal care products (supplements and food items) under the brand name PhycoHealth seaweed science. The product portfolio includes a facial cleanser, a facial scrub, a clay mask, serum, moisturizer, and SPF. Hydration is one of several benefits of the VSS biomass included in these product formulations; according to the PhycoHealth site, “Our unique seaweed extract has exceptional powers of hydration, holding up to 2,000 times its weight in water for a naturally youthful plumping effect.”
🧊💋Cold Process Manufacturing Reimagined
This week an indie beauty brand out of Wisconsin (US) called HPPY Skin launched its first product: a single-dose facial mask made using high-pressure processing cold-water technology.
“We saw what HPP [high-pressure processing] did for the food and beverage industry, allowing people to eat foods and drink juices that are fresh, rather than heat treated,” says HPPY Skin Founder Hannah Penn, whose family runs the Good Foods Group, a company the specializes in dips, salsas, salads, and avocado spreads produced using HPP.
“Our minds went directly to skin care,” continues Penn, in her recent comments to the press. “Through our family businesses, we have always been passionate about the consumer – specifically, offering the consumer a better, higher quality product with no additives, and this is something we have now applied to skincare.”
HPP production means that the mask formula does not include stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives, or fillers. The single-dose sachets do however require refrigeration; as will all future HPPY Skin products. But according the this week’s media release, “The use of HPP provides product safety and a longer shelf life without the use of preservatives and encourages nutrient retention due to the lack of heat.” The brand does have plans to expand into a full line of facial skincare, adding cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers.
HPP is an intriguing approach to skincare manufacturing. And the beauty fridge market still exists. In fact, it’s not uncommon for skincare enthusiasts to store select products in a refrigerator or freezer; but just how mainstream the chilled beauty trend will become is yet to be seen.
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