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Synthetic Biology

Chemistry In Pictures

Chemistry in Pictures: Skin-deep biotech

by Craig Bettenhausen
September 7, 2021

A microscope image of little clear globules randomly arranged.
Credit: Bolt Threads

What’s in your skin cream? Cosmetics are complex colloids, emulsions, and suspensions, so much so that cosmetic and formulation chemistry is almost its own subfield. Bolt Threads got these oddly calming microscope images of their b-silk protein, one of several materials the firm makes using engineered microorganisms. Up top, the protein forms globules in suspension. Below, the globules coalesce under pressure into a breathable barrier, which the firm says will let b-silk displace silicone and other chemically synthesized ingredients in skin- and hair-care products. Bolt, one of C&EN’s 10 Start-Ups to Watch in 2015, ferments its products using customized microbes.

Air channels and a liquid phase mix on a microscope slide.
Credit: Bolt Threads

Credit: Bolt Threads

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