The air quality index was over 400andanything over 300 is heavily toxic, says Ticku.
The experience led her down a palm-oil rabbit hole.
The tree can only grow in a spot of land thats about five or 10 degrees around the equator.
So as theres been demand, weve seen the slashing and burning of rainforests.
When my co-founder and I found out about this we were just outraged.
We were shocked to hear that were just destroying rainforests to make a vegetable oil.
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The solution they arrived at usesbiotechnologyto produce a palm oil alternativenamed Torula Oilin a lab.
We found a yeast which was naturally oil producing, says Ticku.
Weve got the yeasts sequenced genome and we were able to get it in-house and understand how it grows.
Then were able to extract that oil.
Mother Nature did a lot of the work.
Were just helping to harness it and elevate it.
Its a skin and hair oil that blends Torula with a host of other skin-loving ingredients.
Its got this sort of aggressive name, right?
Its modeled like a protest poster, says Ticku.
But thats nearly impossible to do right now because its insomany products.
If you look on the ingredient list it could be one of like hundreds of names, says Ticku.
Palm oil is really common because its really good at what it does.
So you find it in everything from soaps and shampoosits the reason that your shampoo lathers and cleanses.
A few studies over the last couple of years highlighted this.
Torula oil harness the power of nature without disrupting nature, explains Ticku.
We reimagine our relationship with nature as one that is symbiotic rather than extractive.
It creates a solve for a problem the industry has spent a decade trying to address.
And theyve done nothing over the last 10 years.
As we manage the palm oil problem, Novakovich warns against the blanket vilification of palm oil.
Millions of individuals, especially smallholder farmers, depend on this crop for their livelihoods, says Novakovih.
Without it, income and food insecurity would likely become a big issue for them.
Have there, and do there continue to be, unethical/environmentally damaging sourcing?
The fact that were sourcing from richly biodiverse regions is also challenging.
I dont think so.
Note, there are NGOs such as the RSPO working to do things better.
Smaller brands likeAlaffia, for example, have found ways to use sustainably sourced palm oil.
And larger brands likeUnileverandJohnson&Johnsonhave made commitments to responsible sourcing.
With Torula oil, C16 presents another solution to this extremely complex and nuanced issue.
Its really hydrating and blends really well in a lot of formulations, she says.
It can be used in liquid formulations like oils, but also solid formulations.
Weve used it in like soaps.
Weve put it in sunscreens to deliver actives and things like this.
Expect to see the first wave of brands using launching their products with Torla oil in the coming months.
It showcases sort of the power of biotechnology to make new powerful ingredients, says Ticku.
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