London, 27 July 2023 — Together in collaboration, PANGAIA, the purpose-led innovative materials science company, and Haeckels, the cult British skincare and fragrance brand, both known for bringing problem-solving innovation to the world through premium lifestyle products, have collaborated with C16 Biosciences, the New York City-based climate-tech startup producing next-generation ingredients to decarbonize consumer product supply chains, to introduce the REWILD Body Block: the first ever soap bar made with C16 Biosciences’ proprietary Palmless™ Torula Oil - a natural, biodesigned replacement for palm oil.
PANGAIA, Haeckels and C16 Biosciences have collaborated to bring Palmless™ to market as a soap bar for the first time. Palmless leverages naturally occurring microorganisms and fermentation to create a better alternative to palm oil that is rich in antioxidants and sterols and more sustainable. Palm oil is one of the most destructive ingredients on the planet. Known for its widespread and versatile applications in skin, personal care, and food, it is widely farmed but brings about destruction to biodiversity, wildlife ecosystems and human life that is cleared for mass farming; from the rainforests in Costa Rica to Indonesia, the devastation is wide ranging and significant.
The REWILD Body Block is scented with natural oils to recreate the smell of the rainforest burning down, highlighting the main way in which biodiversity is cleared to make way for the palm oil plantations. Building into the disruptive force of two B-Corp brands coming together with next-generation biotechnology innovators C16 Biosciences, the soap bar is housed in treeless packaging made from cotton and bamboo. Haeckels has manufactured the soap in-house at their production facility on the cliff tops in Margate, blending Palmless™ with their iconic seaweed extract foraged from the shores of Kent, along with organic materials including aloe vera, mandarin peel and vetiver root.
On 27th July, the PANGAIA, Haeckels and C16 Biosciences Rewild Body Block powered by Palmless™ will be available only on PANGAIA.com, Haeckels.co.uk and Selfridges, London priced at £30 / $40 with less than 200 blocks available worldwide.
PANGAIA is a purpose-driven leisure lifestyle company bringing problem-solving materials science innovations to the world. We are a global collective of one heart and many hands - scientists, technologists, designers – creating essential products from innovative tech and bio-engineered materials powered by nature. Our vision is to inspire and accelerate an earth positive future as we design a business model where our products are better for the planet than if they did not exist. Every product we create is born from science and purpose, each solving an environmental problem of the industry. From the materials we use to the colors we create, we are committed to protecting, preserving and promoting biodiversity on earth, pioneering and using materials that consider the delicate balance between planet, functionality and purpose.
C16 Biosciences is a New York City-based climate-tech startup producing next-generation ingredients to decarbonize consumer product supply chains. The company’s proprietary biomanufacturing platform produces better performing, more sustainable alternatives to oils and fats that successfully address global ESG challenges—including climate change, food security, the environmental and safety impacts of natural resource extraction, and more. By collaborating with consumer brands in beauty and food, the company aims to reduce the environmental footprint of palm oil production. More information at http://www.c16bio.com.
Haeckels was founded in 2012 by Dom Bridges. Disillusioned by the production ethos of many larger skin care companies, Dom wanted to create simple hand-crafted products that showcased the surrounding coasts’ natural ingredients in the hope that the products themselves would then promote Margate’s heritage of healthy coastal living. Utilising the excess seaweed found in Margate to create a few initial hero products, which are still sold today, the brand acquired a lab on Cliff Terrace in 2013, where more product formulas were developed to complete the skin and fragrance range. The company has now grown significantly; with game changing products and expert global collaborations all while remaining to play an active part in the local community by organising beach cleans, marine conservation surveys and opening a community sauna. The brand continues to be a pillar of innovation; looking to science in the natural world to create the best in product but also the wider environment in which it sits, pioneering bio contributing packaging, championing traditional ‘waste’ ingredients where others would not, as well as new global supply chains, most recently an exclusive product range for a luxury hotel group utilising a local supply chain. As Haeckels has developed over the years, the heart of the company remains the same as it concentrates on a modern take on natural design first, in the hope that the products themselves will remind and educate customers of the natural wealth of the ocean, and beyond.