Celbius — Est. 2012 · United Kingdom
Natural materials and colours,
engineered
into better
products.
Celbius is a UK green chemistry R&D company transforming plant-derived colours and natural chemistry into functional materials for cosmetics, food, textiles, polymers and other industrial applications. We seek partners to help commercialise our new products.
Introduction
Where nature meets applied science.
We work at the intersection of colour science, cosmetic science and polymer chemistry, developing materials that begin with nature but are engineered for real-world performance.
From plant-derived pigments and functional textiles to compostable bioplastics and applied green chemistry, our work is driven by a clear purpose: to turn promising science into considered, compliant and commercially viable materials.
Through our own research and collaboration with specialist partners, we explore how natural chemistry can solve complex material challenges. By combining scientific expertise with a practical understanding of regulation, manufacturing and commercial application, we help move new ideas from the laboratory towards products and technologies with real-world potential.
Extraction
Chemistry
Application
Programmes
One scientific foundation. Four connected programmes.
Our work spans four areas of research and development. Each draws on the same foundation: rigorous chemistry, regulatory understanding and a focus on technologies with genuine commercial potential.
01
Applied R&D
Green chemistry and biocatalysis, applied to real challenges.
Celbius provides contract and collaborative research across biocatalysis, polymer materials and applied chemistry. From early feasibility and route design through to formulation and regulatory considerations, we work with partners to develop technically robust ideas into commercially relevant solutions. Our experience includes a long history of enzyme and biocatalysis research across pharmaceutical and other industrial applications.
02
Colour Cosmetics
Plant-derived pigments for a new generation of colour.
We are pioneering vivid, wearable pigments with highly antioxidant properties derived from plants as an alternative to conventional synthetic dyes. Our work combines colour science with formulation expertise to develop high-performance pigments for modern cosmetic applications. Our pigment technology is already helping to bring nature-powered colour to market through Seeds of Colour.
03
Sustainable Materials
Rethinking what plastics can be.
In partnership with Teysha Technologies, we are contributing to the development of a new generation of compostable bioplastics produced using naturally derived monomers. These high-performance materials are being developed to provide practical alternatives to persistent petrochemical plastics, combining advanced polymer science with a more sustainable approach to material design.
04
Functional Textiles
Natural colour. New approaches to textiles.
Working with specialist partners, including Hewitt Denim, we are developing waterless dyeing methods and novel functional textiles. Our research explores how natural colour and advanced chemistry can reduce water use and effluent while opening new possibilities for textile performance.
How we work
Good chemistry is only half the job.
Scientific innovation has to survive contact with regulation, cost, manufacturing and the market. We consider those realities from the beginning, combining scientific rigour with commercial thinking to develop solutions that can move beyond the laboratory and succeed in real-world applications.
By considering compliance, scalability, supply and commercial viability alongside the chemistry itself, we help bridge the gap between promising research and practical materials. Our approach is focused not just on what can be achieved scientifically, but on what can be manufactured, adopted and successfully brought to market.
01
Regulatory-first
We consider relevant regulatory requirements from the outset, helping to ensure formulations and materials are developed with their intended markets in mind.
02
Materials to market
Pigment, polymer and applied chemistry expertise is considered alongside costing, supply and commercial realities.
03
Partnership-driven
We collaborate with specialist partners, researchers and technology businesses to move ideas from bench discovery towards scalable, manufacturable products.
About Celbius
A small R&D company with a wide scientific bench.
Celbius is a UK-based research and development company working across natural pigments, sustainable polymers and applied green chemistry.
We develop our own technologies and collaborate on programmes where our scientific expertise can create genuine value.
Our aim is clear: take what nature already makes — colour, structure and function — and develop it into materials that work commercially and stand up to scrutiny.