THE WHAT?  L’Oréal has announced the acquisition of Lactobio, a Copenhagen-based leader in probiotic and microbiome research. This acquisition enhances L’Oréal’s existing 20-year research into the microbiome, the community of microorganisms on the skin, and strengthens its position in this scientific field. The acquisition also aims to leverage Lactobio’s expertise and intellectual property to develop innovative cosmetic solutions involving live bacteria.

THE DETAILS Founded in 2017 by Søren Kjærulff, Ph.D., and Charlotte Vedel, Ph.D., Lactobio has developed a unique microbiome discovery platform and screening method. This method selects effective and safe strains from a large biobank of lactobacillus bacteria. These precision probiotics will be utilised by L’Oréal to create topical formulations containing live bacteria, offering various benefits for skin and hair.

THE WHAT?  Anne Colonna, Global Head of Advanced Research of L’Oréal Groupe, highlighted that the integration of Lactobio’s expertise is a strategic complement to L’Oréal’s scientific capabilities. This collaboration aims to create a new generation of cosmetics using advanced probiotic and postbiotic technologies for enhanced product performance. Søren Kjærulff expressed pride in Lactobio’s achievements and anticipation for future beauty innovations as part of L’Oréal Groupe, leveraging Denmark’s long history of microorganism-based innovation in various fields.