From Fish Stem Cell Culture Technology to Next-Generation Cosmetic Ingredients — ImpacFat and IntegriCulture Establish Joint Development Framework

Anna Takagi

21 minutes ago

5 min read

Using cell culture-derived fish adipose stem cell materials, the collaboration will advance cosmetics development with novelty, sustainability, and compelling brand stories, targeting APAC markets from Japan and Singapore.

Executive Summary

ImpacFat Pte. Ltd. (CEO: Mandy Hon; hereinafter “ImpacFat”), a Singapore-based company engaged in the research and development of fish-derived adipose stem cells, and IntegriCulture Inc. (Representative Director: Yuki Hanyu; hereinafter “IntegriCulture”), a Japan-based company promoting the research, development, and social implementation of cellular agriculture technologies, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the joint development, OEM manufacturing, and commercialization of cosmetic ingredients created through the ImpacFat’s fish stem cell culture research.

Through this collaboration, the two companies will combine ImpacFat’s technology platform for cell culture-derived fish fat and nutritional ingredients with IntegriCulture’s product planning and development expertise for CellAg® products derived from cellular agriculture, as well as its knowledge of cosmetic OEM development. Together, they aim to create new opportunities in the clean beauty sector across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market, starting with Japan and Singapore.

The companies aim to develop next-generation cosmetic ingredients and products that offer the following values to cosmetics manufacturers and brand owners:

Novelty and market appeal not found in conventional cosmetics
A scientific and technological story that communicates a brand’s distinctive value
Sustainability and traceability in ingredient sourcing
Ingredient and formulation development tailored to product concepts and applications
Potential for expansion into APAC markets, starting with Japan and Singapore

Moving forward, the two companies will work with cosmetics manufacturers, brand owners, aesthetic clinics and salons, ingredient distributors, and other stakeholders to establish an integrated platform supporting product planning, ingredient proposals, OEM development, and market introduction.

Background of the Partnership

In recent years, the beauty and cosmetics industry has seen rising interest in sustainability, animal welfare, traceability, and stable raw material supply. In particular, new alternatives have been sought that address the environmental and ethical challenges associated with conventional animal-derived ingredients.

At the same time, the cosmetic market increasingly values raw materials that offer not only sustainability but also brand differentiation, novelty, compelling narratives, and functionality. Against this backdrop, advances in cellular agriculture (*) technology are supporting the development of new methods where small quantities of cells collected from living organisms are cultured to produce target materials sustainably in more controlled environments.

The two companies entered into this partnership based on their shared belief that combining their respective technologies, expertise, and business platforms can create new values for cosmetics brands and beauty-related companies by bringing together unprecedented novelty and sustainability.

(*) Cellular Agriculture: A technology and industry that produces useful resources, such as cosmetics, cell-cultured foods, and materials, by growing cells collected in small quantities from living organisms.

Overview of the Companies and Technologies

ImpacFat Pte. Ltd.

ImpacFat is a biotech startup spun off from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore. The company has technology for developing omega-3 rich fish fat through stem cell culture, and is advancing R&D on highly nutritious, stem-cell derived omega-3 fish fat technologies that can be customized for specific applications. The fish adipose stem cells and their derivatives produced by the company’s technologies are expected to have applications as premium, next-generation cosmetic ingredients.

IntegriCulture Inc.

IntegriCulture promotes cellular agriculture to implement high-performance, sustainable raw materials into practical use. The company refers to its cell culture-derived products "CellAg®" and actively works to promote their broader adoption. IntegriCulture has gathered substantial attention in Japan by marketing OEM cosmetics formulated with "CELLAMENT®", a proprietary ingredient developed independently from chicken egg-derived supernatant.

Objectives of the MoU

Through this MoU, the two companies will combine the ImpacFat’s technologies for cell culture-derived fish fat materials with IntegriCulture’s expertise in the planning and development of CellAg® products and its knowledge of cosmetic OEM development, with the aim of accelerating the market development of next-generation cosmetic ingredients.

As a first step, the companies will explore joint development opportunities by leveraging the ImpacFat’s cell culture-derived cosmetic ingredients together with IntegriCulture’s cellular agriculture technologies and expertise in cosmetic product planning and development.

Specific areas under consideration include evaluating materials for cosmetic applications, designing product concepts that make use of the materials’ distinctive characteristics, developing prototypes, and proposing ingredients and OEM development opportunities to cosmetics manufacturers and brand owners.

By leveraging the novelty, sustainability, and compelling stories behind cell culture-derived ingredients, the two companies aim to support differentiation for cosmetic brands and help create products that clearly communicate to consumers why a particular ingredient has been selected, thereby bringing new choices in beauty and wellness to society.

Future Outlook

Building on this partnership, the two companies will promote the development of markets for cosmetic ingredients utilizing the ImpacFat’s cell culture-derived fish fat materials and CellAg® products across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with an initial focus on Singapore and Japan.

Going forward, the companies will leverage the synergies between their respective technologies and expertise to strengthen collaboration with cosmetics manufacturers, brand owners, aesthetic clinics and salons, ingredient distributors, and other industry stakeholders, while accelerating efforts toward new product development and market introduction.

Through the application of cell culture technologies in the cosmetics sector, the companies also aim to provide new alternatives that address the environmental impact and ethical challenges associated with conventional ingredient sourcing. By doing so, they seek to drive innovation across the industry, accelerate cross-border open innovation, and contribute to the development of a more sustainable beauty and personal care industry.

Beyond ingredients research and development, the companies will pursue collaboration encompassing brand concept design, ingredient proposals, prototyping, OEM development, and market introduction.

Inquiries Regarding Joint Development and OEM Opportunities

ImpacFat and IntegriCulture welcome inquiries regarding cosmetic product planning, ingredient evaluation, prototyping, OEM development, joint research, or APAC market expansion using cell culture-derived fish adipose stem cell materials.

Cosmetics manufacturers, brand owners, beauty-related companies, ingredient distributors, and other organizations with the following needs are invited to contact the companies through the channels below:

Sourcing novel and differentiated cosmetic ingredients
Developing products using cell culture or biotechnology
Combining a science-based story with sustainability
Developing OEM products that differentiate a brand from competitors
Co-developing products for Japanese or broader APAC markets

Corporate Profiles

ImpacFat Pte. Ltd.

Representative: Mandy Hon, CEO

Address: 36 Robinson Road, #20-01, City House, Singapore 068877

Established: 2022

Business Activities: Development and application of stem cell-based cultured fish fat and nutritional material technologies of omega-3 lipids such as DHA and EPA; a spin off from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.

IntegriCulture Inc.

Representative: Yuki Hanyu, CEO

Address: Shonan Health Innovation Park A32F-3111, 2-26-1 Muraoka-Higashi, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 251-8555, Japan

Established: 2015

Business Activities: Research and development of cellular foods and cosmetic ingredients using the versatile, large-scale cell culture system "CulNet® System"; construction of cellular agriculture infrastructure.