Tech Startup Develops Vegan Silk-Infused Skincare Line

Vegan brand Eighteen B recently debuted with two innovative skincare products: Revitalizing Hydrogel Moisturizer ($75) and Hydrate + Restore Rich Cream ($95). Both products are made with B-Silk Protein—an ingredient that is similar to collagen or elastin, which are believed to have skin-smoothing benefits. The new skincare brand is a subsidiary of biotech company Bolt Threads which discovered the key ingredient while producing yeast-based Microsilk, a vegan textile that will replace all animal-derived silk in future Stella McCartney fashion lines. The startup—which operates with the motto “Way better materials for a way better world”—is also behind Mylo, a vegan leather product made from mycelium (mushroom root system) which it grows on a bed of corn before being compressed into a durable material.