C16 Bioscience’s ingredient brand Palmless published a comprehensive new data package detailing the efficacy of its first biotech ingredient, torula oil.
Torula oil first launched in 2023 and has been described as a "luxe bio-designed oil that sits at the intersection of performance moisturization and innovation.” Further, the ingredient is reportedly rich in signature carotenoids and sterols due to its fungal origin, and is being promoted as beauty's new "super ingredient."
According to the company’s press release, Palmless’ torula oil outperformed Vitamin C, lycopene, beta-carotene and astaxanthin in free radical scavenging when tested with in vitro DPPH. The ingredient features a fatty acid profile comparable to human sebum, with 31.4% palmitic acid and 10.2% oleic acid, and it has demonstrated its use in multiple applications.
“When we launched torula oil, we new it was a luxurious emollient with a compelling biotech provenance story,” said founder and chief executive officer Shara Ticku. “The data demonstrates this is much more than a beautiful oil. Torula oil represents something the industry hasn’t seen before: a single, fermentation-derived ingredient that functions as an emollient, antioxidant active, barrier reinforcer and sensory enhancer, all at once, all with data behind it.”
Torula oil has already been applied in prestige products on retail shelves, including Tower 28’s ShineOn Plumping Lip Jelly, iota’s Diamond Truffle Contour Body Oil and KraveBeauty’s 27 Carrot Retinal. Company officials hope that the new efficacy data will demonstrate the benefit of biotech-derived ingredients that offer multiple benefits in one.
“This is what the next generation of consumers demands: workhorse ingredients that are clean, natural and perform on many dimensions simultaneously,” Ticku said. “Biotechnology isn’t just a better way to make things — it’s the best way to make ingredients that do more work for your skin and less work for the planet.”
