Coegin Pharma has entered into an exclusive agreement with the University of Bradford to complete product development and commercialise a patented pigmentation peptide platform.
Pigmentation peptides are short chains of amino acids that, when used as a topical formulation on the skin, encourage melanocytes to produce melanin and transport it to the surface, thereby creating a natural suntan without the need for sun or chemical-based stains.
The collaboration, which began in 2019, aims to develop innovative solutions for skin and hair pigmentation. Coegin has now obtained full commercial rights to the pigmentation peptides, with the potential for the first cosmetic tanning product launch as early as 2026.
Jens Eriksson, chief executive of Coegin Pharma, said, “These pigmentation peptides are very exciting and could revolutionise the market for skin and hair care products.
“We look forward to starting the commercialisation, which has many common denominators with our hair growth project FOL005, and aim for launch in 2026."
The potential uses of these pigmentation peptides include:
• Increasing overall skin pigmentation (e.g., for self-tanning, scars and stretch marks)
• Increasing skin pigmentation locally in cases of hypopigmentation (e.g., vitiligo)
• Restoring natural hair pigmentation (e.g., treatment of grey hair)
• Decreasing skin pigmentation (e.g., for brown warts and age spots)
Coegin says the plan is to complete the final phase of product development in collaboration with one or more partners, with ongoing dialogues already in place.
The Centre for Skin Sciences (CSS), part of the University of Bradford, is one of the UK’s leading research centres in skin biology, dermatology and hair science.
CSS has developed a peptide technology that adjusts the amount of melanin in the skin's pigment cells by mimicking a naturally occurring protein that affects melanin production and melanin transport.
The method can potentially be used to both increase and decrease pigmentation.