80 LIPID CHEMISTRY
6 5 4 3 2 1
0 Algae Sunflower Argan Squalane Jojoba Noyl Silk
Figure 1: Dryness index comparison versus benchmark oils for O/W 12% emulsion. Independent sensory panel, The Netherlands, 2025
rather than inferred from environmental sampling with no organism behind it. That is closer to what a raw-material datasheet looks like than what a sequence database usually offers. The skin care market has, in the past few
years, shifted towards claims tied to a named mechanism rather than a general sustainability story. ‘Biotech-derived’ and ‘fermentation- derived’ claims do not differentiate much on their own anymore; too many ingredients carry some version of that label now. A searchable lipid profiles resource gives a
formulator something else to point to: not just the supply chain advantages, less land, no seasonal variability, traceable batches, but the actual fatty acid composition and a mechanistic reason why it behaves the way it does on skin. A composition story tends to hold up better than a sourcing story once sustainability becomes table stakes rather than a selling point, which is roughly where the category sits today.
Novel microbial lipids emerging from oleaginous yeast research Mapping diversity only matters if it leads somewhere. The three examples below come
Thickness Sticky (3 min) Greasy (3 min)
10 8 6 4 2 0
Melting/Slippery 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Figure 2: Rancimat induction time at 120°C, hours. Demonstration of Noyl Silk top stability
from the confirmed strain set and show what the screening approach has actually surfaced for skin care, and where it might be applied. None was the product of a targeted search. Each turned up because its fatty acid profile stood out against the rest of the confirmed set, which is, in fact, how the platform is meant to work. The first is a lipid identified for its sensory
and barrier properties in skin and hair: Noyl Silk, an active biotech oil. Its triglyceride architecture differs from common plant oils, and the practical result is a dry-touch finish instead of the heavier, more occlusive feel typical of vegetable oils at comparable concentrations, a property that matters most in leave-on facial formats, where consumers form a judgement within seconds of application. Against benchmark oils including jojoba, squalane, argan and sunflower, it scored 6 on a standard dryness index, ranking first among the oils tested. On oxidative stability, a Rancimat induction time of 35 hours at 120°C combined with a PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) content below 3% puts it in a different class from most plant-derived alternatives: at that PUFA level, such shelf stability would not normally be
Dimethicone ■ Noyl Silk ■
Macadamia Oil ■ Jojoba Oil ■ Argan Oil ■ Squalane ■
Penetrating
expected, and certainly would not expect the dry sensory profile that comes with it. Low PUFA oils tend to feel heavier rather than
lighter, so finding both a dry sensory profile and a long induction time in the same lipid is not the usual trade-off, and it is easier to find that combination by screening broadly than by trying to engineer it into an existing plant oil. Two independent sensory evaluations flesh out what that profile means in practice. The first, run by an expert panel of ten examiners against argan, jojoba, macadamia, squalane and dimethicone, showed that Noyl Silk opens comparably to the plant oil references on application, then diverges: after three minutes, shininess and greasiness had dropped significantly while the benchmarks held steady, leaving a noticeably cleaner finish. Five of the eight assessed parameters showed statistically significant differences by ANOVA. The second placed it directly against silicone,
still the reference standard for dry-touch performance in leave-on formats. Noyl Silk scored lower on every negative
attribute: shine 3.6 vs. 5.0, greasiness 3.4 vs. 5.5, stickiness 2.1 vs. 3.8, thickness 1.3 vs. 2.7, while matching silicone on skin penetration. For a bio- based oil to beat silicone on every feel parameter while equalling it on absorption is not a result formulators come across often. The second case addresses a different
challenge: matching an existing ingredient rather than improving on it. Cocoa butter’s melting behaviour, hardness at room temperature and sensory release on skin all come down to a fairly specific triglyceride composition, with particular saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids sitting in particular positions on the glycerol backbone.7 Screening the yeast library for strains whose
Shine (3 min) Shine (1 min) Sticky (1 min) Greasy (1 min)
Figure 3: Spider chart displaying the sensory characteristics of Noyl Silk compared to five market benchmark dry oils. Expert sensory panel, 2026, France
PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE October 2026
lipid profile approximated that composition turned up a candidate now being evaluated as a cocoa butter equivalent, made by fermentation rather than grown on plantation land. The appeal for lip and body care formulators has less to do with chemical novelty than with supply: a fermentation batch can be scheduled, a cocoa harvest cannot. Early formulation trials and a pilot
collaboration are underway to see how closely the fermented lipid reproduces cocoa butter’s melt-on-skin behaviour in those formats, where supply security now matters about as much as the
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Noyl Silk Coconut Oil
Sunflower Oil Olive Oil Argan Oil
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