Arcaea has acquired Gadusol Laboratories. A purchase price was not disclosed. Gadusol is an early stage company using synthetic biology technology to produce the natural sun protective compounds found in marine life.

According to company executives, Gadusol fits seamlessly into Arcaea’s mission to use expressive biology to unlock the benefits of natural molecules. The companies note that certain species of marine and plant life naturally produce unique molecules to protect themselves from harmful UV radiation. Now, Arcaea will leverage the power of biotechnology to economically produce these compounds and its expertise in formulation to bring them to market. This acquisition is an opportunity to accelerate the timeline and commercial feasibility of these novel compounds and catalyze the development of the next generation of UV technologies, according to company executives.

“Biology has created sophisticated mechanisms to protect ourselves from the environmental elements for millenia. Given the challenges facing consumers and companies on this front today, that is why this space has been critical from our inception. Arcaea’s acquisition of Gadusol enables us to bring this technology to consumers faster and represents the start of new ways of managing protection from the sun and other environmental elements,” said Arcaea CEO Jasmina Aganovic. “Gadusol is a strong example that shows when we embrace biology-first technologies, we can create no-compromise solutions to drive the future of industry foundational ingredients.”

Gadusol, an Oregon State University (OSU) spinout, was founded five years ago by Katie Pettinger, Dr. Taifo Mahmud and Dr. Alan Bakalinsky. The company is led by Pettinger as CEO, who will be joining the team at Arcaea. Pettinger and the Gadusol team have been developing innovative methods to produce these UV-absorbing compounds in a manner that is sustainably sourced, environmentally safe, and beneficial for skin and overall health.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Arcaea team to accelerate the commercialization of our safe and effective bio ingredients. This partnership catalyzes development of a pipeline of molecules that can revolutionize sun care,” said Pettinger.