Brazilian start-up suggests eggshells extract to plastic surgeries

This medical technique uses hyaluronic acid to repair wrinkles, scars or furrows of patients in a market evaluated at US$9.4 billion till 2028.

Sustainability concerns

The issue is that ‘unsustainable’ routes worldwide are currently used to obtain the acid. For instance, many of them apply chemical solvents while other practices damage the environment.

The start-up extracts from the eggs the same acid with high purity throughout a ‘green route’ and hopes to pave the way for the next generation of dermal fillers. The project has received financing from Fapesp (São Paulo Research Foundation) in partnership with the Canadian company, Coesys.

According to Hélida Barud, CEO of BioSmart Nano, the new stabilisation process allows the gel formulation to remain in tissues longer with an optimal viscosity grade. That is a crucial adjustment for dermal fillers.

“The filler is a gel and, if it runs excessively, it does not produce adequate support. But, if the viscosity is too high, it does not pass through the needle and has no applicability,” explains Barud.

Green route

BioSmart Nano was founded in Araraquara city, São Paulo, in 2016, and has been working with the Canadian partners since 2020 to develop the new route for extracting the hyaluronic acid from eggshells sustainably.

“We were able to do this with organic solvents, which are not so aggressive and do not produce so much waste that could harm the environment. With this new extraction method, we are working on a ‘green’ route to obtain hyaluronic acid,” noted Barud.

The goal, according to her, is for the new filling gel to be on the market in 2024. But, before then, it will be necessary to carry out tests on animals, plan the production schedule and conquer the market.

“We realise that it may be simpler to obtain approval from the FDA and then enter the approval process at Anvisa, in Brazil. The journey is still long, but the key now is to consolidate the scientific part,” said Barud.