The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has announced a new collaboration with Serpin Pharma, a biotech firm specializing in anti-inflammatory technology. This partnership underscores ELC’s commitment to advancing skin care innovation by integrating pharmaceutical research into cosmetic formulations.
We spoke to Carl Haney, EVP, Global Innovation and R&D at ELC, who emphasized the importance of cross-industry collaborations in driving innovation. “At The Estée Lauder Companies, fostering strategic partnerships from across diverse industries like pharma has long been a critical approach to driving transformative innovation,” Haney stated.
“The company’s collaboration with Serpin Pharma aligns with ELC’s commitment to advancing anti-aging and anti-inflammatory science, which are pivotal in addressing skin health and appearance.”
Harnessing biotech for skin longevity
According to ELC’s press release, “The exclusive partnership will accelerate ELC’s focus on transformative product innovation by applying insights from Serpin Pharma’s two decades of anti-inflammatory research, which has yielded proprietary biotech technology demonstrating remarkable efficacy mitigating harmful inflammation and enhancing cell resiliency.”
Serpin Pharma identified a key portion of a superfamily of proteins called SERPINs (Serine Protease Inhibitors) that enhance the body’s natural ability to heal cells experiencing inflammation.
“Together, the companies are investigating how this innovative technology, which leverages the body’s innate immune response, can be harnessed to address skin irritation, aging, and sensitivity,” the press release stated.
The advantages of SERPIN technology
Serpin Pharma’s proprietary SERPIN technology distinguishes itself from existing anti-inflammatory ingredients by targeting a specific protein present in every skin cell called SERPINs (Serine Protease Inhibitors). “This protein plays a crucial role in controlling inflammation, helping the skin heal, protect itself, and stay healthy,” Haney explained.
“By influencing how skin cells respond,” he continued, “SERPIN technology can shift the skin’s reaction from promoting inflammation to reducing it—like flipping a switch, [which] makes it a comprehensive and effective approach to calming and rejuvenating the skin.”
ELC’s ongoing research highlights the role of SERPIN technology in mitigating “inflammaging,” a process where persistent low-level inflammation accelerates visible skin aging.
“SERPIN technology helps counter this process, supporting the skin’s natural ability to recover,” said Haney. “It works to reduce redness, discoloration, and other visible signs of damage,” he added, “working alongside our powerful skin care formulas to keep skin looking healthier and more youthful.”
Challenges in translating pharma research to cosmetics
The collaboration comes at a time when biotech-driven skin care solutions are gaining traction in the industry. However, Haney acknowledged the challenges of integrating pharmaceutical research into cosmetic formulations.
“As we leverage pharma biotech platforms to identify breakthrough ingredients for cosmetics, we can face some challenges in product development,” he noted.
“Recognizing that pharma platform-identified biomimetic ingredients are originally designed for other applications and uses, we must ensure that the ingredients discovered through platform utilization are safe and suitable for topical application on skin,” he explained.
Ultimately, he summarized, “the main challenge is designing formulas that keep these ingredients stable and effective,” and in doing so, “we need to meet all regulatory standards, as well as global registration requirements to ensure compliance.”
Fast-tracking innovation under the ‘Beauty Reimagined’ vision
ELC’s collaboration with Serpin Pharma aligns with the company’s recently launched “Beauty Reimagined” strategic vision. According to ELC’s press release, the company “is step-changing innovation by partnering with biotech companies across sectors to commercialize their breakthrough innovations and applying their cutting-edge technologies to developing skin care solutions for consumers.”
Haney further emphasized the significance of the partnership, stating that it “will allow us to combine our established expertise in skin care science with Serpin’s cutting-edge research to enable the rapid development of novel peptide technology that can ultimately be leveraged in our products to visibly reduce skin aging and irritation.”
He concluded, “As a decades-long leader in leveraging biotechnology to develop high-performing skin care products, we see cross-industry collaborations like these as a meaningful way to accelerate the creation of innovative products that enhance the consumer experience.”
