In a new strategic move to expand their collagen platform, Evonik’s Venture Capital arm has invested in Jland Biotech, a company dedicated to developing and manufacturing non-animal-derived collagen.

Through this partnership, Evonik intends to meet the growing demand for vegan collagen for cosmetic and personal care applications. Evonik recently launched its own vegan collagen Vecollage Fortify L for cosmetic and personal care applications. The new collagen products, manufactured in collaboration with Jland, will be launched later this year.

Evonik’s life sciences division is using its biotechnology platform to leverage the expertise of its partners and collaborate on precision biosolutions. We welcome Jland to our partner network,” said Johann-Caspar Gammelin, President of the Nutrition & Care division. “Together with our expertise in active ingredients and delivery systems, we are creating a world-leading portfolio of non-animal derived collagen.

What is vegan collagen?

Collagen is a protein found in human and animal structural tissues such as bones, cartilage, skin and nails. Collagen can be used as a bioactive in cosmetic and personal care applications to improve elasticity and hydration in the skin. Vegan collagen is of particular interest for formulators developing cosmeceuticals that are effective in the deep layers of the skin.

Produced from bacteria or yeast through a controlled fermentation-based process, non-animal collagen is easier to formulate and better absorbed by the skin than animal-derived collagen. Fermentation-based collagen also has low immunogenicity and batch-to-batch variability and is highly reproducible.