"Biology can do things that chemistry can't,
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 6:57 am
" says Aganovich. "Chemistry can coat hair with chemicals to make it look and feel a certain way. Biology only looks at things at the amino acid level and changes them."
Aganovic says the company is a few years away from bringing new products to market. And while the company is currently investing heavily in developing these new technologies, Aganovic expects the price to be roughly on par with others on the market. For example, lab-grown keratin could cost as much as keratin obtained from animals.
Ginkgo's technology has previously been used in medicine for things like nucleic acid-based vaccines, which inject DNA code into the body to produce inert proteins. Pfizer and Moderna's phone number list vaccines work on a similar principle.
Ginkgo is also working with agricultural companies to create plant strains that are more resistant to pests and diseases and better absorb nutrients. This is the first time Ginkgo has collaborated with a cosmetics company.
Arcaea will create cosmetics for beauty brands, though Aganovic says he can't reveal them yet. The list of investors may provide a clue: the startup has raised $78 million from big beauty players, including Chanel, perfume company Givaudan, and Viking Global Investors, which owns beauty box service Birchbox.
Aganovic says the company is a few years away from bringing new products to market. And while the company is currently investing heavily in developing these new technologies, Aganovic expects the price to be roughly on par with others on the market. For example, lab-grown keratin could cost as much as keratin obtained from animals.
Ginkgo's technology has previously been used in medicine for things like nucleic acid-based vaccines, which inject DNA code into the body to produce inert proteins. Pfizer and Moderna's phone number list vaccines work on a similar principle.
Ginkgo is also working with agricultural companies to create plant strains that are more resistant to pests and diseases and better absorb nutrients. This is the first time Ginkgo has collaborated with a cosmetics company.
Arcaea will create cosmetics for beauty brands, though Aganovic says he can't reveal them yet. The list of investors may provide a clue: the startup has raised $78 million from big beauty players, including Chanel, perfume company Givaudan, and Viking Global Investors, which owns beauty box service Birchbox.