// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Geltor say to the gelatin? You're a mold influence.
| Industry | Biotechnology |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Alexander Lorestani Nick Ouzounov |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Products | Recombinant collagen and elastin |
| Website | geltor |
Geltor, Inc. is an American biotechnology company that develops animal-free collagen and elastin proteins by precision fermentation, engineering microbes to make recombinant versions of proteins normally extracted from animals.[1][2] It was founded in 2015 under the name Gelzen[3] by Alexander Lorestani and Nick Ouzounov, who met as graduate students at Princeton University.[4] The company initially sought to develop fermentation-produced alternatives to animal-derived gelatin for food applications, but its first commercial focus was skincare.[3][4] The company is based in San Leandro, California.[5]
Technology and products
[edit source]To produce its proteins, Geltor inserts synthesized DNA sequences encoding target proteins into microbes, grows the engineered microbes by fermentation, and purifies the resulting proteins.[1][2][4]
Early experiments included producing gelatin using a synthesized gene based on a mastodon collagen sequence[4] and creating a book cover from fermented jellyfish collagen.[6]
The company has developed recombinant collagen and elastin ingredients for personal-care applications.[1] Its first commercial product, launched in April 2018, was N-Collage, later renamed Collume, an animal-free collagen skincare ingredient.[7][8] Geltor later developed type XXI collagen-based ingredients: HumaColl21 for topical use and PrimaColl for ingestible applications.[9][10]
In 2022, Geltor announced completion of a commercial-scale production run of PrimaColl.[11] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration closed Geltor's GRAS notice for the collagen polypeptide in October 2024, stating that the agency had no questions about the company's conclusion that the polypeptide was generally recognized as safe for the proposed uses.[12][13]
References
[edit source]- 1 2 3 Kauffman, Jonathan (2 August 2022). "Is Bio-Designed Collagen the Next Step in Animal Protein Replacement?". The New York Times.
- 1 2 Dance, Amber (2017). "Engineering the animal out of animal products". Nature Biotechnology. 35 (8): 704–707. doi:10.1038/nbt.3933.
- 1 2 Watson, Elaine (16 August 2016). "Geltor seeks to disrupt the gelatin market with potentially game-changing animal-free alternative". FoodNavigator.
- 1 2 3 4 Gupta, Sujata (11 February 2019). "Is the World Ready for This Gelly?". Eater.
- ↑ "Beyond Peptides: Geltor Introduces Matrikine Technology with HumaColl21 Select" (Press release). Geltor. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Kauffman, Jonathan (16 January 2018). "San Leandro lab's secret foray yields animal-free leather". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ↑ Colville, Waverly (9 October 2018). "Lab-grown gelatin is the fake food of the future, one start-up believes". CNBC.
- ↑ Ferrer, Benjamin (12 April 2019). "Beyond skin deep: Geltor launches "animal-free collagen" for skincare". NutritionInsight.
- ↑ Sullivan, Jennifer G. (31 July 2022). "The Latest Advancements in "Natural" Beauty Products Have a Mad-Science Vibe". Allure.
- ↑ Watson, Elaine (8 June 2021). "Geltor targets 'beauty-from-within' market with 'extremely rare' Type 21 vegan collagen (made with microbes, not animals)". FoodNavigator.
- ↑ McCoy, Michael (2022). "Geltor scales up biobased collagen". Chemical & Engineering News. 100 (8): 11. doi:10.1021/cen-10008-buscon16.
- ↑ "GRAS Notice No. GRN 001171". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Crawford, Elizabeth (16 October 2025). "Finally, a vegan collagen: FDA's 'no questions' letter for Geltor's animal-free collagen opens doors to new markets". FoodNavigator. Retrieved 29 July 2026.