Recently, the “Promotion and Application of Ergothioneine in the Beauty Industry” salon, hosted by GeneIII, concluded successfully in Nanjing. This salon brought together many industry experts, including brand founders, senior engineers, and well-known skincare bloggers, to focus on the potential applications of ergothioneine.
During the event, Jiangsu GeneIII Co., Ltd. (referred to as “GeneIII”) revealed that, through the scientific research efforts of its core team, GeneIII achieved cGMP engineering-scale production of ergothioneine in June 2023. They have also developed international competitiveness in terms of the quality, production capacity, and cost of ergothioneine, marking a significant milestone in the widespread application of ergothioneine in the beauty and skincare industry.
It’s worth noting that ergothioneine is a natural antioxidant that has been recognized for its potential benefits in skincare and other applications. However, despite its potential, ergothioneine has faced challenges due to its high production costs and complexity. Traditional production methods, such as chemical synthesis and biological extraction, often resulted in limited yields and high costs, making ergothioneine a relatively expensive ingredient. The adoption of advanced biotechnology, such as gene editing, has the potential to revolutionize the production of ergothioneine, bringing down costs and making it more accessible to beauty brands.
GeneIII, founded by Mr. Ding Wei, has made significant strides in the development and production of ergothioneine. The company’s core technology, led by Dr. Wang Yang, a pharmaceutical Ph.D. and postdoctoral researcher in biomedicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, focuses on synthetic biology. In just two years since its establishment, GeneIII has built a closed-loop system that covers everything from the cultivation of microorganisms to the production of ergothioneine, purification, engineering-scale production, product efficacy evaluation, and market promotion.
By leveraging their GMP-standard pharmaceutical production platform, GeneIII has achieved ergothioneine raw materials with pharmaceutical-grade purity, reaching over 99.9%. They have also mastered the fermentation and purification processes in 20-ton fermentation tanks, equivalent to cultivating 2000-3000 acres of reishi mushrooms.
This breakthrough has resulted in significant cost reductions, with ergothioneine prices dropping from previous levels of several million RMB per kilogram to around one million RMB per kilogram or even lower. GeneIII’s ergothioneine is now a leader in terms of quality and purity within the industry.
However, despite these achievements, there are still challenges to overcome. Ergothioneine remains relatively unknown among consumers, and there is a lack of consensus within the industry regarding product standards and efficacy testing. Industry experts at the salon emphasized the need for effective marketing strategies to educate consumers about the benefits of ergothioneine. They also stressed the importance of establishing standardized testing methods to differentiate the quality of ergothioneine products from various manufacturers.
Despite the challenges, many salon participants expressed optimism about the future of ergothioneine in the beauty industry. As production capacity continues to increase and with ergothioneine’s exceptional antioxidant properties, it is expected to gain popularity as an affordable and effective ingredient for beauty brands. The application of ergothioneine could potentially transform the skincare industry in China.
*Data mentioned in the article is based on third-party independent laboratory testing commissioned by GeneIII.