KOSÉ, I Peace, and Reju Enter Strategic Partnership to Develop Personalized Beauty Products Based on iPS Cells

Demonstration testing of "my own" beauty products

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- KOSÉ Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Kazutoshi Kobayashi), I Peace, Inc. (Headquarters: Palo Alto, California, USA; Founder & CEO: Koji Tanabe), and Reju, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yurie Kamiya) have agreed to enter a strategic partnership to develop and provide personalized beauty products^*1 containing iPSF (iPS cell extract), a unique ingredient derived from each customers' own iPS cells^*2. The personalized beauty products will not only contain iPSF but will be formulated in the optimal dosage form and texture to suit each customer's preferences and sensibilities. This innovative approach ensures that customers can enjoy the beauty products meticulously tailored to their needs and desires. Before the end of 2024, the partnership plans to commence demonstration testing of the technical and business aspects of these beauty products, collaborating with medical institutions in Japan.

Background to the strategic partnership

KOSÉ, a leading company in the business of beauty in Japan as a provider of cosmetics and other products, has joined forces with I Peace, a biotech company working in the field of iPS cell technology, and Reju, a supplier of iPSF. This strategic partnership is driven by a shared commitment to delivering personalized beauty solutions that are tailored to the unique individuality of each customer in a society that respects diversity.

With a focus on the 3G principals of Global, Gender, and Generation, KOSÉ is working on a mission to deliver the value of beauty to as many people as possible by targeting new customer segments, beyond adult women. KOSÉ is committed to providing a wide range of cosmetic products tailored to meet the unique needs of diverse customers including different functions and usability, by leveraging its extensive expertise and strength in cosmetics development and brand creation. To further expand its value propositions beyond the realm of beauty, KOSÉ has been exploring the technical and business aspects in the areas of health and cure, elevating its value propositions to holistic well-being concept.

I Peace, on the other hand, is engaged in a number of businesses including the supply of clinical-grade iPS cells to pharmaceutical companies and cell and gene therapy developers worldwide. Additionally, I Peace offers iPS cell banking services for individuals, enabling them to store their own iPS cells for personalized disease treatment in the future and other applications. Through the groundbreaking technologies, I Peace has significantly reduced the cost of manufacturing iPS cells, paving the way for a future where individuals will be able to make use of their own iPS cells.

With a separate technical partnership with I Peace, Reju is aiming to apply cutting-edge iPS cell component extraction and refining technologies to the areas of beauty and health. Reju is researching and verifying the potential contributions of iPSF, a unique iPS cell extract produced through these advanced technologies, to cell rejuvenation and longevity. The unique iPSF components are expected to have wide-ranging applications across various beauty and healthcare areas.

Recognizing the potential of delivering truly personalized beauty solutions tailored to each customer by combining their expertise in beauty and iPS cell technology, these three companies have come together to form this new strategic partnership.

Outline of the initiative

This initiative aims to provide customers with a wide range of beauty products uniquely tailored to each individual. The process begins with the iPS cells generation from somatic cells which are collected from the customer's own blood. In the process, the extracts of their own iPS cells are taken and stored so the customers can enjoy beauty products containing extracts of their own iPS cells. Because iPS cells are rejuvenated in the cell generation process, customers can benefit from the cellular activity levels similar to their younger selves. Moreover, the use of iPSF derived from the customers' own cells ensures high biocompatibility, minimizing the risk of adverse reactions. In this initiative, I Peace will generate, culture, and manage iPS cells from an individual's somatic cells using its extensive experience in operating personal iPS cell banking services employing its latest biotechnology and stringent safety protocols to ensure the highest quality. Utilizing its technical partnership with I Peace, Reju will manufacture and supply iPSF for the beauty products.

The beauty products offered through this initiative will be tailored to customers' preferences not only in components but also in a dosage form. For example, the personalized beauty products will be available in various forms like gels for those who prefer a fresh feeling, or creams for those concerned about dryness. This versatility ensures each customer's unique desires for usability, feel, and the added value are met, in alignment with the sensibilities they may have. KOSÉ, having developed many different cosmetics in pursuit of ever-better usability, will be in charge of providing the personalized beauty products to customers' satisfaction.

This initiative will appoint Japanese medical institutions who will take care of collecting somatic cells from customers, preparing iPSF-based formulations, and other relevant work, with the aim to commence demonstrating testing before the end of 2024.

Roles of each party

KOSÉ:                 Manufacture and sale of preparations personalized to individual preferences
I Peace:              Generation, cultivation, and management of customers' own iPS cells
Reju:                   Supply of iPSF (iPS cell extract)

Overview of each party

KOSÉ Corporation

Representative:  Kazutoshi Kobayashi, President & CEO
Headquarters:    3-6-2 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8251, Japan
Founded in:        1946
Business:            Manufacture and sale of cosmetics
Website:             https://corp.kose.co.jp/en/

I Peace, Inc.

Representative: Koji Tanabe, Founder & CEO
Headquarters:   809 San Antonio Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA
Founded in:       2015
Business:          Operation of the Personal iPS Cell Banking service, and contract manufacture and sale of clinical- and research-use iPS cells for companies
Website:            https://ipeace.com/en/

Reju, Inc.

Representative: Yurie Kamiya, CEO
Headquarters:   6-15-1 Roppongi , Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
Founded in:      2022
Business:          Supply of beauty and health products and services using iPSF (iPS cell extract)
URL                  https://rejuinc.com/

Reference: iPS cell research conducted by KOSÉ

As part of its rejuvenation research, KOSÉ has been analyzing and evaluating dermal fibroblasts collected from a single donor from the ages of 36 to 67, as well as iPS cells generated from these cells, to study skin aging. KOSÉ has reported that initialization of differentiated cells into undifferentiated iPS cells restores the length of telomeres (the terminal portion of chromosomes that shortens with each cell division) in all aged cells. In another approach, KOSÉ has succeeded in inducing dermal fibroblasts to differentiate into new dermal fibroblasts via iPS cells, and has ascertained that the quality of mitochondria was restored in dermal fibroblasts induced from these iPS cells when compared with the original cells.

Reference: About I Peace

I Peace was founded in 2015 by Dr. Koji Tanabe, a graduate of Professor Shinya Yamanaka's laboratory at Kyoto University and the second author of the landmark paper on the world's first human iPS cell line. Dr. Tanabe has been involved in iPS cell research since it's early days. By manufacturing and selling cells for clinical and research use, I Peace aims to quickly bring a variety of useful iPS cell technologies to the world. Recognizing the unique advantage of iPS cells—being able to generate them from anyone and use them for personalized treatment—I Peace launched the Personal iPS Cell Banking service with the commitment to making it possible for individuals to obtain and use their own cells for personalized disease treatment. The I Peace cell manufacturing facility has been licensed by Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) to manufacture specified processed cells and is also registered with the FDA in the United States. I Peace supplies clinical-grade iPS cells to pharmaceutical companies and cell therapy development companies worldwide.

Reference: About Reju

Focusing on the rejuvenating effect of iPS cells, Reju entered a technical partnership with I Peace and conducted research and development with the aim of applying iPS cell technology to rejuvenation, both inside and out, to improve the quality of life in an era of 100-year life spans. Through extensive research and development efforts, Reju has developed iPSF (iPS cell extract), innovative product that encapsulates the rejuvenation properties of iPS cells. Reju values science and evidence-based approach to make a contribution to the next-generation of personal beauty and healthcare, going beyond existing products and services in anti-aging industry.