Vegan Growth Factors
Read Time: 5 minutes
Hi everyone
Now, just imagine if you could tap into the same powerful signals your skin uses to heal itself, and bottle them in your next formulation?
Growth factors are those signals: natural proteins (like EGF and FGF) that tell skin cells to renew, repair, and even boost collagen.
They’ve been called the “holy grail” of anti-ageing actives for their ability to encourage real skin regeneration. But until now, most cosmetic chemists have yet to play with these – but, that’s about to change with a new vegan, high-purity source of growth factors…
“Nature does nothing in vain.”
– Aristotle
First, though, why aren’t growth factors already in every luxury cream and serum? Historically, a few big hurdles held them back:
Sky-High Cost: Early growth factors were extremely expensive to produce. They often had to be harvested from animal cells or donated human tissues in labs – not exactly budget-friendly or scalable.
Animal Origins: Many sources were non-vegan (think fetal bovine cell culture or even snail mucin extracts). This raised ethical issues and inconsistent quality, and it didn’t fit with today’s clean beauty or cruelty-free values.
Instability: These are delicate protein molecules. In a typical formula, they could break down long before reaching your customer’s skin. Heat, enzymes, or the wrong pH would deactivate them, making formulators wary of their real-world efficacy.
In short, growth factors mattered but they felt impractical. More at home in a biotech lab or clinic than in a cosmetic lab.
Here’s the good news: a biotech innovator called Linuset has developed a new way to make growth factors that solves those problems. Instead of using animal cells, Linuset uses microbial expression. Basically, friendly E. coli bacteria engineered to produce human-identical growth factor proteins.
This approach is 100% vegan and cruelty-free, and it’s done with green chemistry principles (no harsh chemicals or animal ingredients). The result? Clinic-grade growth factors (>95% purity, often ~98%) that are affordable and consistent – bio-identical to the ones our bodies make, but produced in a planet-friendly way.
What exactly are these growth factors? They include well-known skin heroes:
EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), which signals skin cells to boost repair and renewal;
FGF-2 (Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor), which helps stimulate collagen and tissue regeneration;
FGF-7 (Keratinocyte Growth Factor), which supports the skin’s barrier and surface cell turnover; and
VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), which promotes healthy circulation for healing and nutrient delivery.
These proteins occur naturally in our skin essentially telling cells it’s “time to rejuvenate!” By formulating with bio-identical versions, we can nudge the skin’s own processes in a gentle but effective way.
How has Linuset made them easier to use?
One big innovation is a fusion-protein design that enhances stability. In simple terms, each growth factor is produced with a built-in stabiliser that keeps it from falling apart so easily. This means these growth factors remain active longer in a formula and can better survive storage and shipping.
Linuset’s team focused on cosmetic use from the start, so they made sure these actives are shelf-stable and easy to formulate (no special handling beyond normal cool-down addition). Every batch is third-party tested for purity and bioactivity, so you’re getting a reliable, effective ingredient.
In lab studies, even tiny doses of these growth factors have shown impressive effects – for example, significantly boosting the proliferation of skin cells (like HaCaT keratinocytes) and speeding up wound-healing in cell assays. In other words, they do what they promise: help skin cells work better and regenerate faster, which can translate to smoother, firmer, healthier-looking skin.
Here are some formulation tips to get started:
Start Low (Potency is High): These actives are potent. A little goes a long way. Consider a starting concentration around 0.001% (that’s 10 ppm) of the growth factor in your formula. Even at a few parts per million, you can see benefits. You can always adjust upward in trials, but often the effective range is quite low.
Formulate in the Right Base: Growth factors are water-soluble proteins, so they’re best used in the water phase of a product. They shine in leave-on formats like serums, essences, lotions, or creams (and even sheet masks or hydrogel patches). Avoid putting them in anhydrous (oil-only) products. If you’re making an emulsion, add them during the cool-down phase (typically below ~40°C) to protect their activity. They are generally stable around skin-friendly pH (~5–7), so no extreme pH levels.
Pair with Delivery Systems: Although growth factors can work at the skin surface, you can boost their delivery. Encapsulating them in liposomes or niosomes, for instance, can help ferry them closer to target cells and shield them from degradation. Using a nanoemulsion or a biodegradable polymer delivery system can also enhance penetration. Also, consider formulas or routines that complement these actives – for example, a gentle exfoliant used beforehand can help penetration, or a derma-roller by the end-user for deeper delivery (if appropriate).
Combine with Supportive Ingredients: Growth factors play well with others. You can formulate them alongside hydrating ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid (which keep the environment moist and favorable for active proteins). They also complement familiar actives: e.g., using EGF in a night serum with niacinamide or panthenol can synergistically support skin renewal and barrier repair. Just avoid mixing with strong proteolytic enzymes or highly acidic actives that could degrade the proteins.
You might be thinking, “This sounds great, but what about…?” Let’s address a few common concerns:
“Do topical peptides really work?” It’s smart to be skeptical as large molecules like growth factors historically struggled with skin penetration. However, research and real-world use have shown that growth factors can be effective topically. They bind to receptors on the surface of skin cells, essentially knocking on the door and triggering the cells’ natural renewal processes. So even if not all of it goes deep, the message still gets through. In fact, clinical studies using EGF creams have noted improved skin texture and faster healing of small wounds. The key is using a bio-active form (which from Linuset we can provide) and formulating it in a way that the protein remains active on the skin. We now have evidence that these aren’t just hype. When used properly, they deliver results in increased firmness, smoothness, and healing.
“Is it going to break my budget?” It’s true that in the past, growth factor ingredients were astronomically priced – only very high-end brands dared to use them. That’s exactly what’s different here. By using fermentation in bacteria, the cost of production has plummeted. Plus, because the effective dose is so low, the cost per unit in your final product becomes feasible. You no longer need to charge £300 a jar to include a meaningful level of EGF! In short, these new microbial-derived growth factors are far more accessible. They bring a luxury active into the mainstream price range.
“Will it stay stable and safe on the shelf?” Protein actives are delicate, but Linuset’s fusion-protein tech and rigorous purification have greatly improved stability. They’ve been tested in stress conditions and show much better shelf-life than older animal-derived counterparts. As a formulator, you should still take reasonable precautions: add the growth factor at the end of manufacturing (low heat), use a good preservative system, and perhaps include an antioxidant in the formula to protect sensitive proteins. Do that, and you can expect the growth factor to retain its activity through the product’s shelf life. In terms of safety: these proteins are identical to ones our bodies produce, and they’re used in tiny quantities. They are non-irritating and work with the skin’s natural biology. Of course, as with any new ingredient, you’d patch test final formulations, but so far there’s no red flag – just make sure to source from a reputable supplier (like us & Linuset ;o) ) with proper quality controls.
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So, there you have it…
Growth factors are no longer the stuff of ultra-expensive spa brands – they’re here and now for formulators who want to create the next breakthrough products. To sum up the key points:
Next-Gen Performance: These are clinic-grade actives, the same types of proteins used by dermatologists in wound healing research, now optimised for cosmetics. Expect genuine skin improvement (cell renewal, firmness, smoother texture) rather than just a temporary fix.
Vegan & Clean Beauty Friendly: Linuset’s growth factors are made with no animal ingredients and by using sustainable fermentation technology. This means you get the high-tech benefits without compromising on green or ethical standards.
High Purity & Proven Efficacy: Each growth factor is produced at >95% purity (typically ~98% pure) and verified for activity. You’re formulating with a well-defined, quality-controlled active, so you can trust its consistency.
Stability and Formulation Ease: Thanks to smart protein engineering, these actives are more stable than earlier generations. They integrate smoothly into formulas (especially water-based ones) and remain active over time. No special handling beyond what you’d do for any sensitive active.
Accessible to Formulators: Perhaps most importantly, this tech makes growth factors accessible – both in availability and cost. Whether you’re a big brand R&D team or an indie formulator, you can now experiment with adding true bioactive growth factors to your products. It’s a chance to offer something truly advanced to your customers without needing a medical license or a million-pound budget.
By embracing these next-generation growth factors, you’re essentially bringing a bit of clinic-level science into home products and doing it in a way aligned with the values of modern skincare (clean, ethical, evidence-backed). It’s not often that we get to see a new class of cosmetic actives emerge, but that’s what this is: a genuine innovation beyond the usual vitamins and extracts.
As always, this is a “first look,” and there’s plenty to discuss. Feel free to reply with your questions or concerns – whether it’s about formulation specifics, pricing, or even skepticism about peptides.
If you want more information on Linuset’s growth factor range (technical data, samples, or pricing), just ask…
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Thanks for reading, and see you next week.
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