Bolt, Ginkgo team up on cosmetics

Bolt Threads is scaling up its b-silk protein, a cosmetic ingredient, beyond the metric-ton scale with help from the synthetic biology heavyweight Ginkgo Bioworks. Bolt makes the powdered protein using genetically modified yeast and sells it in small quantities as a premium replacement for silicone and keratin that also offers some protection against pollution and ultraviolet radiation. With Ginkgo's expertise in strain improvement, Bolt aims to reduce the cost of producing b-silk so that the matierial can compete on the mass market.