The BioDesign Newsletter

Issue #011

Health search lead to a hunt for alternatives 

The British among us may remember a time when health controversies were associated with Nestle’s blue chocolate smartie. In 2005, food conglomerate Nestle, in response to the rising health concerns of artificial colourings, promised to remove artificial flavourings from their rainbow-coloured sugar-coated chocolates, Smarties.

And then began the hunt for natural colourings. They succeeded in replacing almost all the colours however, the hunt to replace the synthetic colouring E133 was fruitless and rendered the blue smartie evicted from the iconic tube. 

This was until 2008. The blue smartie was reborn with a natural colouring. How? – algae. During the R&D process, Nestle sourced a green-blue algae called spirulina that produces phycocyanin, a blue pigment which helps the organism capture light for photosynthesis. Once extracted from the algae, this pigment was the saviour Nestle needed to resurrect the blue smartie. 

Over 15 years later, health and environmental concerns are returning to the forefront of policymakers’ minds and with it the potential banning of various compounds. Among the compounds under fire are silicones and carbon black. 

B-silk offers an alternative as the EU bans silicones 

Known for leaving a smooth and soft finish, silicones are a commonly used ingredient in beauty products ranging from shampoos to cosmetics. Along with these desirable properties are the less desirable ones, bioaccumulation and toxicity.

It is these properties which have led to the ban of silicone D4 and a recent amendment to a European Union regulation (2024/1328) that will introduce new restrictions on specific silicones D5 and D6. These restrictions will apply across beauty and personal care products by 2026 and in turn, bolster the silicone alternatives on the market.

Among the alternatives is Bolt Thread’s B-Silk protein. The protein provides, like silicone, soft and silky qualities and  can be incorporated across personal care products such as shampoos, lotions and cleansers. Bolt Threads is currently developing skincare products utilising B-silk in their Beebe Lab. 

Algae could replace carbon black ink amid ban speculations  

Over in New York, the trusty black ink is under heat. Carbon black, a pigment commonly used in ink, was threatened with a ban due to concerns about its toxicity. 

The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act called for a ban on chemical substances that are considered toxic, including carbon black. However, this act failed to make it through the New York State legislature. 

The potential ban raised alarms in the printing and packaging industry, with concerns that printing companies would be stripped of one of their most essential materials – black ink. But there is an alternative to carbon black. Biotechnology company, Living Ink has developed an algae-based ink. The applications for their black ink have been used across beauty products, textiles, shoes and packaging validating their technology as an alternative to the dominant carbon black. 

The commotion around bans has left companies concerned about finding alternatives but, as Nestle demonstrated, solutions do exist in nature. Since 2005, the biotechnology industry has catapulted with start-ups peppering the world working with biology to address environmental and health concerns.

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