Podcast 312: Fermentation made our food. Could it shape the future of beauty too?

For decades, green beauty has leaned heavily on one simple belief – if an ingredient comes from a plant, it must be better. Better for the skin, better for the planet and better for people. But what happens when that comforting narrative starts to unravel?

In this episode of Green Beauty Conversations, Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier explores the deeper story behind fermentation and asks a provocative question: could microbes help reshape the future of the beauty industry?

While plant oils feel familiar and reassuring, the global cosmetics industry now relies on vast agricultural systems and supply chains that place enormous pressure on land and biodiversity. Suddenly, the idea that “plant-based” automatically equals sustainable becomes far less straightforward.

Following on from last week’s fascinating interview with biotech entrepreneur Nemailla Bonturi of ÄIO, Lorraine reflects on how fermentation – a process humans have used for thousands of years – might offer an unexpected solution to some of the industry’s biggest sustainability challenges.

From fermented foods to biotech oils made with yeast, this episode invites you to rethink what “natural” really means when it comes to cosmetic ingredients and why the future of beauty might feel very different from the past.

“Feeling comfortable with an ingredient is not the same as it being sustainable. Sustainability has never been about what looks nicest on a label – it’s about systems, scale and what happens if everyone does the same thing.” — Lorraine Dallmeier

Key takeaways:

• The definition of “natural” and “sustainable” in beauty may be too simplistic: For many years, the green beauty movement has used plant-based ingredients as a shorthand for sustainability. Plants feel safe, familiar and connected to nature in a way that lab processes often don’t. However, once we consider the scale at which the cosmetics industry operates, this assumption begins to break down.
• Fermentation is not new – it is one of humanity’s oldest technologies: Humans have been using fermentation for at least 9,000–10,000 years. Archaeological evidence from Neolithic China shows fermented drinks made from rice, honey and fruit dating back to around 7000 BCE. Soon after, fermentation became central to many cultures through foods like bread, beer, wine, yoghurt, kefir, cheese and vinegar. What we now call biotech fermentation is essentially the same natural process – but with modern science.
• Biotech oils challenge the assumption that plants are the only “natural” source: Lorraine reflects on last week’s conversation with a biotech founder whose company, ÄIO, produces oils using yeast fermentation rather than traditional agriculture. Instead of relying on crops grown on farmland, these oils are created from simple inputs like sugar and microbes. This approach separates oil production from land use and opens up the possibility of producing cosmetic ingredients closer to where they are needed.
• The beauty industry must confront the realities of scale: Many cosmetic ingredients are produced in enormous volumes to meet global demand. Palm oil is one of the clearest examples, with around 70% of cosmetics containing at least one palm-derived ingredient. At this scale, sourcing plant ingredients is no longer a small, artisanal activity – it becomes part of a complex industrial system, with environmental and social implications that need to be examined.
• Green beauty needs to move beyond purity narratives: Lorraine emphasises that the future is not about choosing between plants and biotech. Botanical ingredients will always have an important role, but sustainability requires honest conversations about trade-offs, resilience and long-term viability. In a climate-constrained world, the beauty industry may need to embrace solutions that feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first. True progress will come from questioning assumptions and thinking more deeply about the systems that we currently use.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

Lorraine Dallmeier

Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.