About the innovator

The University of Bordeaux (UBx) is a multidisciplinary university with 56,000 students, 5,900 staff members, and including more than 6 800 international students and 1 900 PhD students. It produces 4 000 publications/year and 50 patents/year. UBx is a top class education and research organisation which has been awarded the label “Campus of Excellence” by the French government (2011, confirmed in 2016). The “Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques” (LCPO - www.lcpo.fr/) is a joint research unit of the University of Bordeaux, the CNRS and the Bordeaux Polytechnic Institute. LCPO developed a world recognized expertise in macromolecular engineering and self-assembly and is aiming at using it to address the most important challenges in sustainable materials, energy and life sciences. The group “Polymer Self-Assembly and Life Sciences” focuses its research interests towards polypeptide- and polysaccharide-based block copolymers design and self-assembly, design of polymersomes for drug-delivery and theranostics, as well as biomimetic approaches toward design of synthetic viruses and cells. It has participated in and coordinated numerous European, National research projects and Industrial collaborative work with focus on biomedical and cosmetic fields, and has strong know-how in biomimetic and biofunctional polymer design.

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What is the innovation

The objective of this project (pepticaps) was to develop and validate a new family of safe stimuli-responsive nanocapsules designed to confine fragile active ingredients, either hydrophilic or hydrophobic, as cosmetic ingredient. Different skin conditions, i.e. irritant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, skin photo-damage and skin pigmentation which affect a high percentage of the population, have been addressed during the project. PeptiCaps technology takes advantage of the physico-chemical changes induced by the skin condition (change of pH and presence of enzymes) to release the active ingredients in the desired location. Nanocapsules can be produced at pilot plant scale using industrially relevant processes. The technology is mature enough to allow it industrial development through a spin-off company from University of Bordeaux (France) and Cidetec (Spain) named Emissary Cosmetics.

Out of the lab. Into the market

Thanks to the PeptiCaps project, we have been able to develop a strategic plan to go from the lab to the market. After the design and synthetic development of novel biomimetic copolymers and the demonstration of their ability to stabilize nanocapsules, the scale-up of the process, together with a complete physico-chemical characterization and (eco)toxicity of the nanocapsules have been assessed to validate them as new, safe and smart cosmetic ingredients. After the establishment of a business plan, also in the framework of the project, the technology was ready for the next step and the beginning of the transfer of this technology to the market by Emissary Cosmetics.

Benefits of participation in Horizon 2020

As a group belonging to the University of Bordeaux and mostly dedicated to develop fundamental research, our participation in such a collaborative program has allowed us to focus our efforts in areas with larger innovation potential. Through the PeptiCaps project that was led by Cidetec, we have developed a wide perspective on cosmetics-related applications by working with other organizations that cover a broad range of expertise, from scale-up process engineering to toxicology or business development. As an academic research lab, we have learned about the value of transferring a lab technology to a market. 

This innovation was funded via H2020 project pepticaps

Team behind the innovation

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