The beauty industry is evolving. What many of us once felt–the more natural, the better–isn’t exactly true anymore.
That’s because the popularity of natural skincare has led to the global beauty supply chain over-harvesting certain ingredients to keep up with demand. This is the case with many ingredients, but especially palm oil. Sustainable alternatives to these over harvesting ingredients are so important–and why biotech ingredients in general are revolutionizing the beauty industry.
Palmless™ Torula Oil is an innovative biotech ingredient formulated through fermentation, and can be used as an elevated, sustainable alternative to palm oil. If you didn’t know, sourcing palm oil is incredibly harmful to the environment, resulting in the mass deforestation of rainforests around the world. Even worse, it’s estimated that at least 70% of all cosmetics contain either palm oil or palm kernel oil derivatives¹. That’s why an alternative to palm oil is needed now more than ever.
While we’ve never used palm oil in any of our products, we’re invested in advancing sustainability in the beauty industry, which is why which is why we're introducing Palmless™ Torula Oil, a cutting-edge, active biodesigned ingredient from C16 Biosciences, in an upcoming product launch! Not only is it an example of sustainable innovation in skincare, but it’s also an ingredient that packs major benefits for your skin.
After all, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice results for sustainability. Great skincare should and can do both 🧡
But First, What Exactly is Torula Oil?
Torula Oil is a novel, biomanufactured active-packed ingredient. Like other face oils traditionally derived from plants, Torula Oil functions as an emollient, which adds moisture, and as an occlusive, which locks in moisture. While palm and other plant-derived oils (like coconut oil, marula oil, etc.) are technically natural, vegan ingredients (which sounds great at first), these products rely on land-intensive, highly unsustainable growth and harvesting processes. In particular, the palm oil industry’s mass deforestation has made it responsible for nearly 2% of annual greenhouse gas emissions–more than the entire aviation sector! So while yes, it’s natural, it’s certainly not sustainable.
Torula Oil is an alternative that you could call “lab natural” because it’s made using naturally occurring microorganisms and a fermentation process that harnesses the skin health benefits of the fungal kingdom. There’s a name for this–using fermentation, fungi, and microorganisms to create ingredients is known as “biotechnology”.
Beyond its emollient processes, Torula Oil is also an active ingredient. The oil is rich in antioxidant carotenoids and sterols, delivering deep moisturization, oxidative protection, and skin barrier replenishment. These active components are a direct result of how it's made–using something called biomanufacturing.
How Do They Make Palmless™ Torula Oil?
Torula Oil is made through “precision fermentation” by New York City-based C16 Biosciences. Their co-founder, David Heller, shared some insight with us into the creation process:
“Today, many skincare products leverage face oils produced from plants. Instead of plants, Torula Oil is produced from yeast. At C16, we’ve identified and fostered the growth of a highly productive, naturally-occurring yeast. We’ve developed an optimal process for ‘brewing’ the oil through fermentation and the result is a really luxurious, moisturizing oil produced within the cells. It’s a similar process to how we brew beer today, but instead of alcohol we produce an active-packed oil.
What’s really exciting about this ingredient is how it’s made. Compared to oil palms, which take 7 years to reach optimal growth, our yeast reaches peak production in less than 7 days. They grow in optimal conditions in order to accumulate over 70% of their mass as oil! At the end of the fermentation process, the oil is removed and separated from the rest of the material. Then the oil is filtered, quality controlled, and packaged. Although our R&D happens in a lab setting, this is a totally natural process–we leverage biotechnology to speed up and improve the great work nature has already done."
What makes Torula Oil such an innovative ingredient?
Beyond the exciting science behind Torula Oil, this biotech ingredient is considered a super-emollient and harnesses antioxidants, carotenoids, sterols, and terpenoids to nourish the skin, protect against free radicals, improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin barrier function, and soothe skin inflammation.
Torula Oil is a super-emollient that nourishes, protects, moisturizes, and soothes skin.
Torula Oil is a lightweight, non-greasy oil. For those interested in a little behind the scenes into skincare formulation, another benefit to Torula Oil is that it acts as a formula stabilizer. That means it helps keep a skincare formula from separating or changing colour/texture. Another formulation-related benefit to Torula Oil is that because it is manufactured, the potency of the ingredient doesn’t vary between batches like natural ingredients often do, leading to a more consistent performance.
Let’s dive into Torula Oil’s many skin benefits!
Torula Oil Moisturizes Skin to Keep it Smooth and Supple
As an oil, Torula Oil is full of nourishing components that help keep skin moisturized, supple, and balanced. The blend of oleic, palmitic, stearic, and linoleic fatty acids in Torula Oil, as well as the presence of squalene, all contribute to softening and smoothing the skin.
The linoleic fatty acids, in particular, also help regulate sebum production– meaning if you have oily skin, it’ll help with acne and congestion related to an overproduction of sebum. On the flip side, it’ll also help dry skin that needs more natural hydration and lubrication to keep it supple.
All these components come together to make Torula Oil both emollient and occlusive. Being an emollient ingredient means Torula Oil helps soothe, soften, and increase moisture levels in the skin, while being occlusive means that Torula Oil forms a barrier over the top of your skin that helps prevent moisture loss. These two in combination mean Torula Oil adds and locks moisture into your skin.
Torula Oil Keeps Your Skin Barrier Healthy
Those fatty acids I mentioned above? They also play a key role in your skin barrier’s health. Let me break down how each supports the skin barrier in different ways.
Palmitic, oleic, and stearic acid’s emollient and occlusive properties mean they create a light barrier over the skin and contribute to the skin barrier’s ability to protect the overall health of your skin.
Linoleic acid supports your skin’s natural barrier function by acting as a building block for ceramides, which are an essential structural component of your skin barrier that must be supported to maintain the integrity of your barrier. Sterols, which naturally occur in plants, animals, and fungi, also support skin barrier integrity by enhancing the function of natural lipids in the barrier.
Torula Oil is both an occlusive and an emollient–a winning moisturization combination!
Ergosterol, which I’ll talk about more below, also promotes skin barrier function. Squalene, which is estimated to make up 13% of your barrier², not only enhances your skin barrier but also has antioxidant properties.
All that to say, there’s a lot of great things in Torula Oil that support skin barrier health. In fact, I mentioned seven just now!
Torula Oil Improves Skin Elasticity and Reduces Fine Lines
I mentioned above that sterols are great for your skin barrier, but they also support your skin’s elasticity. That means that Torula Oil helps prevent your skin from sagging or appearing slack in some areas. It also improves the appearance of any fine lines and wrinkles.
Other than sterols, there are two other components of Torula Oil that have a significant impact on skin tightness and wrinkles (because they’re antioxidants!): beta-carotene and torulene.
Beta-Carotene
Beta-carotene is an antioxidant and acts as a provitamin A. If you’re unfamiliar with what a provitamin is, the definition from Oxford is helpfully straightforward: “a substance which is converted into a vitamin within an organism.” Basically, when a provitamin is given a chance to be absorbed into the skin, it converts into said vitamin.
This means that beta-carotene has similar benefits to other vitamin A skincare ingredients like retinol. Here’s an easy way to think of it: retinol is animal-derived vitamin A, whereas ingredients from the carotenoid family, which includes beta-carotene, are plant-derived.
All this to say that the beta-carotene in Torula Oil is the plant world’s dupe for the retinol you know and love (while actually being better for sensitive skin!)
Torulene
Torulene is the star of Torula Oil. That’s because torulene is a rare and novel fungal carotenoid that forms the basis of Torula Oil’s biotechnology innovation. Torulene is synthesized by yeast and fungi³ and, being a carotenoid, offers similar benefits to the ones I shared about beta-carotene above.
Torulene is also where Torula Oil gets its juicy, vibrant orange colour! (Don’t worry, it doesn’t stain your skin).
Fun Fact: All carotenoids have an orange hue to them… it’s what makes carrots orange (and the thing in carrots that make people they’re good for your eyesight).
Torula Oil Soothes Irritated Skin
We love that Torula Oil has so many great benefits that don’t come at the cost of sensitizing your skin. It is an incredible win-win for those with sensitive skin that still need high-performing ingredients!
In terms of soothing capabilities, Torula Oil contains ergosterol, found only within fungi, which acts as a provitamin D to help soothe skin.
Ergosterol is a provitamin D found only within fungi, and offers antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial benefits.
Ergosterol is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial ingredient⁴. Combine that with other sterols in Torula Oil that have the ability to protect, heal, and maintain the skin barrier, and you have an oil that is fantastic at soothing irritated skin.
Who is Torula Oil good for?
Now that we’ve talked about all the benefits, let’s distill it down to the ultimate question you’re probably asking right now: Will Torula Oil work for my skin?
Well, if you’re someone who has sensitive or reactive skin but wants the skin smoothing and tightening benefits traditionally associated with harsher skincare ingredients, Torula Oil is for you.
If you want an oil that plumps skin and protects your skin barrier, but you’re worried about acne or clogged pores, Torula Oil is also for you!
If you are passionate about sustainable skincare and are interested in the way the beauty industry is innovating to create effective, cruelty-free formulas, Torula Oil (and biotechnology in general) will pique your interest.
If you are wanting to smooth and improve the look of any fine lines and wrinkles, maintain your skin’s moisturization and skin barrier health, soothe your skin, and maintain a healthy sebum production…
…you guessed it! Torula Oil is for you!
Summary
Palmless™ Torula Oil:
- is a lab-designed super emollient made through an innovative precision fermentation process by C16 Biosciences
- is a lightweight, non-greasy oil
- is made through yeast fermentation
- smooths and moisturizes skin
- protects and maintains healthy skin barrier function
- is antioxidant-rich and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- is anti-inflammatory and soothes skin
- is filled with fatty acids, sterols, and carotenoids
- is a vibrant orange colour thanks to active antioxidant carotenoids
