April 25th is World Malaria Day. You might be asking yourself, what does malaria have to do with Biossance? The story began back 2003 when a group of scientists made a bold proposal to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: they had developed a technology that could produce a cure for malaria—and they wanted to create the treatments and give the patented technology away. The Gates Foundation agreed. This brought scientists together from Amyris, UC Berkeley, Sanofi and the Institute for OneWorld Health to produce millions of medications and find a way to distribute them where needed most.
Today, over 120 million malaria cures have been delivered to treat children suffering from the disease—all at no profit. And this important work has paid off. In the last decade, the number of malaria cases has declined from roughly 500 million to about 212 million cases globally, and deaths from malaria have fallen to below half a million. While there is still much work to be done, these treatments have made a meaningful impact toward one day eradicating malaria.
Drawing on the same lifesaving science used to create these malaria treatments, our parent company, Amyris, has continued to develop many new ingredients that help the sustainability of our planet. That’s where Biossance’s squalane comes into the picture. Bio-fermented from rapidly renewable sugarcane, our 100% plant-based squalane is a highly stable and effective super skin moisturizer. And this is fantastic news from an environmental standpoint, since squalane was originally harvested from shark liver (obviously not so great for the environment or the sharks).
As you can see, helping people and the planet is part of our roots. We have partnered with Zagaya, a nonprofit started by a few of the founders of Amyris. Zagaya, through their Drops for Life program, donates cures for malaria to treat children in sub-Sahara Africa, where the deadly disease takes its heaviest toll. Contributions from Biossance help enable Drops for Life to purchase and distribute thousands of these highly effective malarial treatments, keeping kids healthy across the globe.
Biossance is proud to be a part of Amyris and the science that continues to help people and the planet, as well as support much needed programs like Drops for Life. We’re excited to see what future discoveries unfold to make our lives and world a better place.
Mollie Jensen
Author
My lifelong obsession with the world of beauty started at an early age and kicked off right out of high school as a makeup artist. My dreams of being the next big thing in Hollywood took a detour as I discovered esthetics and became fascinated with how the skin functions. From there I worked post-operatively with patients in a burn trauma unit, helping them care for their skin and conceal their scars. This led to product formulation and the world of aromatherapy where I began my career in product development. As a consultant for several years working with many startups, I quickly became the go-to in helping launch and rebrand product lines, my specialties in product formulation, regulatory compliant copywriting and building cohesive brand personalities. My love of natural and sustainable beauty led me to Biossance, where I happily reside as Senior Marketing Manager for new product development.