Arcaea develops cell-grown cosmetic ingredients using Ginkgo Bioworks’ platform to program cells to produce functional materials such as keratin and sun-protection components. The company plans to grow keratin in bioreactors without animal sourcing, enabling local production and shorter supply chains that reduce emissions. Arcaea aims to create entirely new, engineered ingredients by reprogramming proteins to deliver specific effects (for example, altering hair structure to curl or straighten). Founder and CEO Yasmina Aganovich previously founded Mother Dirt in 2015 and left in 2019 to become an entrepreneur-in-residence at Ginkgo, where she established Arcaea. The startup intends to supply its ingredients to cosmetic brands and also plans to release its own product line. Management says it will take several years to bring new products to market, is investing heavily in R&D now, and expects lab-grown ingredients ultimately to be priced comparably to existing market alternatives. Financially, Arcaea has secured $78 million from major beauty players including Chanel, perfumery company Givaudan, and Viking Global Investors.

Total raised

$78M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Oct 2021