Mushroom roots brewed for beauty
Biotechnologist enters skincare and beauty industry
Biotechnologist and master brewer Busi Moloi has switched from brewing alcohol beverages to producing skin and beauty products.
Moloi worked as a production manager at one of the big breweries in the country, but now she is using her brewing knowledge and experience in fermentation technology for a nobler purpose – producing all-natural products for plumb and youthful looking skin, using mushroom roots.
She is the owner of biotech company Sawubona Mycelium, established in 2018, and produces biomolecules using fermentation as the end product.
“Most ingredients used in cosmetics or biopharma are derived from synthetics or are animal derived. What we are doing differently is, we are producing them through fermentation. The first product we produce is fermenting via mushroom mycelium, which is the root of the mushroom,” says Moloi.
“Different mushrooms, depending on which one you grow have different benefits, so the first one we started growing has healthy skin benefits.
“We wanted to bring those ingredients to the South African market because most of the formulators in the country import their ingredients.”
Moloi, 45, said with consumers becoming more conscious about the products they apply to their skin, she saw a gap in the market to use her brewing skills and knowledge to produce biobased products.
She says the fermented-ingredients market is a growing industry globally, with East Asia leading because of their knowledge of medicinal mushrooms.
“We call it fermented beauty. We developed a product called Blue Beryl. It is different be
cause it’s not plant-derived ingredients or extracts; it’s fermentation-based, and it is not synthetic.
“The whole idea is to move away from synthetics and animal-derived products.”
She says her company has developed two serum products, which are available on the market. The two serums are a hydration serum and an age-control serum.
“We did efficacy testing and one of the products is good for hydration, fine lines removal, hyperpigmentation, and redness. Besides lab experiments, people who have used our serums say it also helps them with wound healing,” explains Moloi.
“We want to add a mister and moisturiser.
When you want products sold at stores, you need to have a range or complimentary products.
“So, we went back and asked the users and people who like our products what else can we add to our range.
“They told us they usually use the three-step routine of cleaner, toner and moisturiser.
“To be different, we are going to add a hydration mist.
“Most of us struggle with dehydrated skin because of the dry climate and weather conditions we experience in South Africa,” says Moloi.
The idea is to move away from animal-based products