Belgian biotech outfit Amphistar has entered into a strategic partnership with Kensing to deliver the former’s biosurfactants to the North American personal care market.
As part of this collaboration, Amphistar’s biosurfactants, produced by microbial fermentation of repurposed agri-food side streams, will be launched in North America by Kensing on an exclusive basis.
Kankakee, Illinois-based Kensing will work with Amphistar to develop regionally sourced circular feedstocks from biobased waste and sidestreams, such as plant oils from Kensing’s production, with a near-term plan to fully onshore production in the US.
This will not only reduce transport-related emissions but will also allow the partners to build a resilient, decentralised supply chain aligned with evolving customer expectations.
The products offer performance for formulators seeking to develop mild and sustainable formulations.
They can be used as emulsifiers and co-surfactants in body lotions, creams, shampoos, body wash, make-up remover and other products.
Kensing and Amphistar will also co-develop the latter's recently launched library of 80+ sustainable and unique ‘designer’ biosurfactant platform technology, with the shared goal of further developing and commercializing high-potential innovations in the personal care and other markets.
“Kensing’s scientific expertise in formulation and production of plant-based ingredients coupled with our novel biomanufacturing technology platform make this an ideal and complementary partnership that will not only help us bring our sustainable biosurfactants to the North American market, but also see us jointly develop and launch new ones in the future,” said Pierre-Franck Valentin, CEO of Amphistar (pictured, left).
“This partnership with Amphistar reflects Kensing’s bold commitment to leapfrog into the next generation of biosurfactants," said Serge Rogasik, President and CEO of Kensing (pictured, right).
“By combining Amphistar’s cutting-edge upcycled biosurfactant technology with Kensing’s industrial scale and market reach, we are unlocking a new era of high-performance biosurfactants—formulated from upcycled biowaste, free from conventional feedstock constraints, and offering both formulation versatility and the potential for highly competitive economics at scale,” he added.
