The winners of the first-ever Cosmetics Business Innovation Awards (CBIAs) have been revealed, celebrating the outstanding developments and achievements of companies across the global cosmetics and personal care supply chain.
The B2B-focused awards programme spotlights the very best in ingredients, packaging, contract manufacturing, technology, testing, regulatory and compliance.
Viablife, who manufactured a 100% biobased niacinamide, secured the win for its scientific ambition, market impact, and its contribution to a more environmentally-responsible and sustainable beauty industry.
Niacinamide is one of the most widely used and trusted active ingredients in cosmetics, known for its anti-aging and cellular-energy properties. However, historically, its synthesis has generated a number of unwanted byproducts and has required a significant input of energy, posing significant environmental and safety concerns.
To overcome these concerns, Viablife used AI-driven synthetic biology to create an entirely new biosynthetic production pathway, resulting in a version of niacinamide that has been certified by the USDA as 100% biobased. McDougall was impressed by how the process has now been successfully scaled to industry, noting its significant market impact in enabling brands to adopt more sustainable production approaches, while maintaining the efficacy and performance of the active.
McDougall commended Viablife’s scientific innovation and real-world impact, emphasising that its significance extends beyond the science itself to the possibilities it unlocks for the future, particularly as the cosmetics industry shifts towards more sustainable production.
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