'Significant milestone' for York biotech firm's mission to revolutionise deodorants as Unilever research moves forward

But since 2022, Aptamer Group and Unilever have been working on a partnership to see whether it is also possible to use the company’s product as an active ingredient in deodorants to reduce body odour.

The Yorkshire biotech company has developed Optimer binders for use in the life sciences industry which are being deployed in this research.

After successful lab tests, a new phase of live testing is now planned before the end of this year.

The deodorant work involves targeting the C-S Lyase bacterial enzyme, which is critical in the generation of axillary odour. Aptamer said extensive lab testing has demonstrated “consistent and effective inhibition of the enzyme”.

A spokesperson added: “This progress signifies the potential application of the Optimers in deodorant products. Additionally, Aptamer Group has refined these binders to enhance their efficacy as potential active ingredients and to improve their manufacturability for Unilever’s production processes.”

With the global deodorant market valued at more than $21bn, Aptamer Group CEO Dr Arron Tolley said the continuation of the company’s work with Unilever represents an important moment for the organisation.

Dr Tolley said: “The continued advancement of our Optimer binders in collaboration with Unilever is a significant milestone for Aptamer Group.

"It showcases the versatility of our technology in providing unique solutions across new sectors, including cosmetics.

"We have collaborated closely with Unilever to develop these binders, and we are excited to see the strides being made towards their use in these novel deodorant applications.

"With efficacy testing on the horizon, we are optimistic about bringing these binders to market in the coming years and look forward to discussing commercial opportunities with Unilever upon successful trial outcomes."

Dr Sam Samaras, Senior Vice President of R&D at Unilever, said the work of Aptamer Group is promising.

“This contract extension with Aptamer Group reflects the positive nature of the data generated thus far.

"This is the first time that Unilever has examined the impact of Optimer binders in cosmetic applications and the data so far have shown encouraging results.

"We will now progress to in-vivo testing of the developed materials to examine their impact, fully formulated, using our state-of-the-art in-house panel of experts.

"This utilisation of Optimers in the cosmetic space represents a novel application for this class of materials and we will continue to engage with the world-class team at Aptamer Group to explore additional opportunities.”

Unilever is the leader in the deodorant market, with over 30 per cent market share - an increase of over 20 per cent compared to its nearest competitor.

Its personal care brands include Dove, Rexona, LUX, Axe, Lifebuoy and Pepsodent.

​Aptamer Group recently said it was “well positioned” for the future after coming through financial challenges in 2023.

In a trading update for the year ending June 30, the company said its revenue for the period was £850,000 with the majority of this coming in the latter half of the year after efforts to rebuild customer confidence following an “acute funding problem” in August 2023.

It said in the three months up to the end of June, £0.98 million in orders were won which resulted in a total of £1.8 million in signed orders currently being processed or awaiting processing in the laboratory.

In addition to the order book, the company said in July that it had a current pipeline of advanced sales negotiations totalling £2.1 million.