Debut has created biotech-derived carmine, a vibrant red pigment widely used in cosmetics. Unlike traditional carmine, which is harvested from crushed cochineal beetles or synthetic alternatives that can lack the same vibrancy and performance, Debut’s innovation offers a precise molecular replica created through biomanufacturing. This animal-free carmine will soon be available for the beauty industry, with expansion into food and beverage on the horizon.
Carmine is notoriously difficult to replicate due to its unique color vibrancy and stability. Many synthetic or vegan substitutes fail to match its performance, leaving the beauty industry reliant on beetle-derived carmine, which raises ethical, health and environmental concerns. Debut’s carmine not only eliminates the need for insect harvesting—requiring an estimated 70,000 beetles to produce just one pound—but is also 95% pure compared to the industry standard of 30%. It is free from proteins that cause skin irritation, reportedly offering a safer, more sustainable option without compromising on quality.
Global Cosmetic Industry recently spoke to Joshua Britton, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Debut, about the story behind the breakthrough.
What inspired Debut to focus on biomanufacturing carmine, and how long did it take to achieve this breakthrough?
"The toughest challenge in replicating carmine was discovering what was poorly understood and the complex chemical events that happen within the beetle, namely several biosynthetic steps which were the biggest mystery," says Joshua Britton, founder of Debut.
How does your biotech-derived carmine compare in cost and scalability to traditional beetle-derived carmine?
Britton: At Debut, we believe that for all our ingredients to win, they need to be at cost parity or lower cost compared to currently derived ingredients, including carmine. Debut’s carmine needs to be cost-competitive, in addition to delivering higher performance and vibrancy and safety than what is currently available. Having said that, our carmine will not, initially, be at the same cost as natural carmine. To enable the bioproduction from a renewable low-cost source, we have combined our patented microbial production systems with cutting-edge cell-free biomanufacturing to improve bioproduction by 100-fold versus previous best-in-class attempts and have overcome all the expensive inputs others have had to use in previous attempts. Initially, our carmine will enter the beauty market, offering the improved vibrancy and safety that brands and consumers crave. As we scale and continue to optimize our biomanufacturing process, we will enter nutrition and beverage, too, as the cost heads towards that of beetle-derived carmine.
What challenges did you face in replicating the molecule and ensuring it matched the performance of natural carmine?
Britton: The toughest challenge in replicating carmine was discovering what was poorly understood and the complex chemical events that happen within the beetle, namely several biosynthetic steps which were the biggest mystery. If you look at academic literature, you’ll frequently read about the missing enzymes. So, Debut’s breakthrough came in the form of innovating a new class of enzymes and optimizing their performance to overturn a significant bioproduction barrier. These enzymes also needed to work in a commercial process. Additionally, we had to overcome the use of an expensive input material that all others use and that will allow us to reach cost parity. Compared to the molecule harvested from the female cochineal beetle, Debut’s molecule has the exact same structure and the same spectrographic properties. It is 100% biosynthesized without an organic chemistry lab. The only difference is that Debut’s molecule has zero insect residue and common allergens, and it also has significantly higher purity – more than 95% purity compared to natural carmine’s 10% purity.
How do you see this innovation impacting the beauty industry’s move toward sustainable and cruelty-free practices?
Britton: Our commitment to creating carmine through biotech sets a bold standard in the beauty industry. Hopefully, it will inspire other companies to also take on the challenge of replacing complex ingredients that have, until now, eluded innovation, especially molecules such as carmine that are integral to beauty but are too complex for most biotechnology companies. With biocarmine, we have eliminated the protein that exists in the natural molecule that is known to cause skin irritation as there is no beetle in our process. Carmine is also a strong antioxidant, so we have captured all the benefits of natural carmine and eliminated the unsustainable drawbacks. The FDA’s recent decision to revoke authorization for the use of Red No.3 in food and ingested drugs is further testament to the necessity for biomanufactured alternatives. Biotech innovation will eventually replace all ingredients with questionable animal-derived and ESG sourcing, delivering a winning combination of performance, safety and sustainability.
