Abolis unveils microbial intelligence explorer for cosmetics formulation
The launch comes as the beauty industry increasingly turns to technology-led innovation.
FRANCE – French biotechnology company Abolis Biotechnologies has launched the Microbial Intelligence Explorer, or MINE, a digital platform that helps cosmetics companies interpret complex biological data and make more informed decisions throughout product development.
Consumers are seeking cosmetic products that combine high performance with improved sustainability, prompting brands and ingredient manufacturers to explore biotechnology as a route to more environmentally responsible alternatives.
However, science-driven product development often relies on large, complex biological datasets.
Research and development teams may struggle to interpret multi-omics information effectively or determine which findings are genuinely relevant to a future formulation.
The platform is intended for cosmetic innovators, manufacturers and R&D teams working with microbial systems, particularly those that need help identifying which biological findings could have practical value in a formulation.
Rather than depending primarily on trial and error, MINE is designed to help teams plan more targeted experiments, prioritise the most relevant research questions and improve the speed and efficiency of innovation programmes.
“The challenge in microbial biotechnologies lies in the difficulty of integrating the various pieces of information and, therefore, knowing which signals matter and which hypotheses deserve further testing for product development,” said Sylvia Julien, general manager of Abolis’ MINE business unit.
The platform brings genomic exploration, multi-omics analysis and experimental interpretation together in a single tool.
It can help users assess how specific microbial strains produce molecules with potential applications in cosmetic formulations, how microorganisms interact within more complex systems and which operating parameters may improve the overall process.
MINE also connects biological findings with the technical and industrial requirements of each project.
This allows users to identify where further validation is required, determine which experiments are most likely to generate useful results and direct resources towards the development routes considered most credible.
MINE evolved from Microbiome Studio, an analytical platform developed through an industrial programme supported by the French government.
Abolis initially created the system for its own microbial biotechnology projects, then refined it through collaborations with industrial partners before adapting it for external research and innovation teams.
The company says the resulting software is intended to make microbial data more accessible, including to users who are not specialists in omics or bioinformatics.
The platform is intended to connect biological insight with laboratory experimentation, validation, process development and commercial-scale manufacturing.
Its introduction forms part of Abolis’ broader ideation-to-scale approach, which combines microbial intelligence with the company’s expertise in strain engineering, enzyme modelling, fermentation, bioprocess development and scale-up support.
The launch comes as cosmetics companies increase their investment in biotechnology and computational tools for ingredient discovery.
Data-driven and AI-assisted approaches are becoming increasingly important as R&D teams look for ways to develop new ingredients more quickly, reduce experimentation time and improve the efficiency of traditionally linear product-development processes.
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