Carmine, the intense red pigment harvested from the cochineal beetle that is widely used in color cosmetics, food and textiles is now available via animal-free biomanufacturing thanks to Debut’s discovery of a new class of enzyme and ability to scale production of this key ingredient to pilot scale. Debut will be biomanufacturing carmine for beauty, an industry first, soon to be followed by food and beverage applications. 

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Debut, the biotech beauty leader, announced today that it has achieved a significant scientific breakthrough in the bioproduction of carmine, the intense red pigment that, up until now, has been derived from the cochineal beetle. Debut’s biosynthetic innovation, years in the making, features both a new family of enzymes that is responsible for a key step and innovative solutions to overcoming expensive inputs during the biomanufacturing process.

“Carmine is one of the hardest molecules to innovate. After a large investment and a lot of hard work, we are very proud to have discovered the all-important missing step in creating renewable carmine that enables us to go from sugar all the way through to this prized molecule,” said Joshua Britton, PhD, Founder and CEO of Debut. “Many teams have tried to biomanufacture carmine over the years with no success due to the complexity and cost of inputs. It is only through the advancement of our biotechnology, Debut’s proprietary Bio2Consumer™ platform, and our differentiated capabilities in biomanufacturing that this innovation has finally come to life.”

To enable the bioproduction from a renewable low-cost source, Debut has combined its patented microbial production systems with cutting-edge cell-free biomanufacturing to overcome industrial limitation and improve bioproduction by 100-fold versus previous best-in-class attempts. This necessitated that Debut discover two enzymes and improve their performance to break through a known barrier in bioproduction of carmine. These enzymes are new, and scientists have been hunting for these answers for over 15 years.

Carmine has a long history, dating back thousands of years to the Mayan and Aztec empires. An estimated 70,000 cochineal beetles are needed to produce one pound of crushed dried insect and a fifth of a pound of carminic acid, according to Smithsonian Magazine. This age-old, animal-derived ingredient is still used because, until recently, there were no eco-friendly alternatives. Synthetic replacements have not been precise color matches with the same vibrancy, stability and formulation potential of carmine. There are also concerns about synthetic equivalents. In January 2025, the FDA banned the use of synthetic Red No. 3 following claims that the additive is carcinogenic.

In contrast to these two sources, Debut’s biomanufactured carmine offers unparalleled health, safety, animal-free and environmental advantages, in addition to ensuring a consistent supply chain that is not reliant on the migration pattern of a beetle. Debut’s carminic acid is more than 95% pure versus the industry average of 30% or lower. The purity of carminic acid derived from the cochineal beetle is exceedingly low, typically 10%. Biomanufactured carmine is also devoid of a specific protein found in beetle-derived carmine that is known to cause skin irritation, making it highly beneficial for beauty and food applications. Additionally, bio-carmine boasts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

“There have been several colorants that have been used as replacements to cochineal-derived carmine, but nothing beats the shade, power, stability and vibrancy of carmine in lipstick. Debut’s bio-carmine is the exact same ingredient found in nature, and we can’t wait to see this in beauty formulations soon,” said Britton.

Debut recently completed pilot-scale bioproduction, enabling the formulation of carminic acid for beauty applications. In addition to revolutionizing the beauty industry, Debut is preparing to expand into the food and beverage market in collaboration with a world-leading partner, and active discussions are currently underway.

About Debut  

The leader in biotech beauty

Debut is pioneering the beauty industry’s shift from traditionally sourced ingredients derived from petroleum and cultivation to high-performing and inherently sustainable biotech ingredients. As a fully vertically-integrated global company, Debut creates superior, scientifically-engineered, bio-based and clinically-proven products and brands at scale to benefit people and planet. Our mission is to create a new beauty standard based on potency, purity, and performance. 

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SOURCE Debut Biotechnology