Turning Natural Ingredients into High-Performance Solutions

A plant-based delivery platform that helps active ingredients penetrate deeper, absorb faster, and maintain potency.

The Opportunity

Hair loss and chronic skin conditions affect hundreds of millions of people globally, impacting confidence, well-being, and quality of life. As the demand for clean, effective, science-driven skin and hair care accelerates, there’s a growing need for innovative technologies that unlock the full potential of natural ingredients. DermCo Laboratories is harnessing plant-based micro-encapsulation with a breakthrough delivery platform that protects, enhances, and elevates the effectiveness of active compounds. This enables clinicians, brands, and consumers to access next-generation skin and hair care solutions that are both safe and high-performing.

The Challenge

Traditional skincare formulations often struggle with unstable, poorly absorbed, or underperforming natural ingredients. DermCo’s SMED encapsulation technology has strong lab-scale results. The project will confirm formulation stability, absorption performance, consumer effectiveness, and skin and scalp sensitivity across initial targeted applications in hair care and acne treatments.

NPC’s Solution

NPC’s Proof of Concept Program is supporting DermCo with performance, stability, and shelf-life studies to validate its patented, plant-based SMEDs encapsulation delivery system for personal care products. The project will demonstrate the platform’s efficacy for the delivery of ingredients used in hair care and acne natural health products, replacing legacy systems that depend on alcohols and petroleum derivatives. NPC is committed to the creation of natural products that are better for people, animals, and the planet. They propel early-stage Canadian innovators with the advice, connections, and capital needed to rapidly develop, validate, and scale transformative solutions.