The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (ELC) is collaborating with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and its laboratory led by the renowned Dr. Robert Langer to research innovation in cosmetics.

ELC is funding what it calls “promising research” led by Dr. Ana Jaklenec, principal investigator at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research —and in close collaboration with Dr. Langer— to research the development of biodegradable materials for cosmetic applications and explore new solutions to combat the effects of visible light from the sun. Officials say this collaborative research with MIT complements ELC’s core competencies and expertise in skin science, biotechnology and more.

“Fostering strategic collaborations with world-leading scientific and academic institutions has long been a critical approach to driving innovation at The Estée Lauder Companies and enables us to remain at the forefront of research,” said Carl Haney, executive vice president, research, product and innovation officer, ELC. “We are proud to collaborate with exceptional scientists who are exploring new frontiers in sustainability and innovation. Dr. Jaklenec’s research is demonstrating it’s possible to develop a new class of materials that can offer various transformative applications.”

Combating Blue Light Effects with Green Chemistry

With funding from ELC, Dr. Jaklenec will test her recently developed class of biodegradable materials for cosmetic applications. The initiative aims to further forge ELC’s leadership in green chemistry, while ensuring high efficacy and performance, official said.

The collaboration will also explore possible new solutions to help combat the effects that visible sunlight and blue light have on the skin. Leveraging emerging chemical technologies, this research will focus on developing dispersible, stable and formulation-compatible materials to block visible light effectively and protect consumers from visible light-induced pigmentation and potential photodamage.

ELC’s R&D Advanced Technology Pioneering team is collaborating closely with Dr. Jaklenec and her team of doctoral candidates, including Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, on these research projects. Dr. Langer, a biotechnology and engineering scientist, serves as an advisor to the research.

“As scientists, we deeply value the opportunity to translate our work from the lab to the real world,” said Dr. Jaklenec. “With this new collaboration, we look forward to exploring the potential ways our research can lead to sustainable and innovative materials that drive impactful advancements in skin health.”