EP132. Can synthetic biology ever be natural?

Synthetic biology is fairly new on the skincare scene, but is really starting to gain ground in the conversations around sustainable beauty. Now, if you haven't come across the term before, synthetic biology, or synbio, involves feeding yeast with the DNA of a plant so that the yeast can replicate that cell over and over and over again to create a biological extract in large quantities in the lab without using vast amounts of natural resources. This technology can, in theory, be applied to any existing plant available. It can, in theory also be used to create new life forms. And while this might sound hugely futuristic and perhaps even slightly worrying when we're so used to nature creating what we need and just taking it for our own use, it also sounds like the opposite of natural. Which is understandable when the term synthetic biology even contains the word synthet synthetic. But is it? After all, bacteria are natural, yeasts are natural, the stem cells being fed to the cultures in the lab are natural. The only unnatural part is the fact that humans are growing these cultures, as they apparently wouldn't be able to exist by themselves outside of the lab. So, in the literal sense of the word, all of these extracts and their cultures are, at least in theory, natural. But does everyone else think that too? Well, it turns out that they don't, and that's what I want to explore on today's podcast episode. Last week here on the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, I interviewed Jake Wintermute of Ginkgo Bioworks, who is a fountain of knowledge on all things to do with synthetic biology. I first came across Jake online when I read an article of his in Grow by Ginkgo, which is a fascinating publication that I do recommend you check out, in which he talked about a futuristic concept that involved someone being able to grow their own skincare at home and pass it on to their friends like a sourdough starter. I was instantly fascinated by the concept. So if you haven't listened to that interview yet, make sure you check out the latest episode now. And today I want to take that discussion one step further by asking whether synthetic biology could ever become the new natural for all of us. Foreign. Dallmeyer Chartered environmentalist, biologist and CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica I host the Green Beauty Conversations podcast and these are my Green Beauty opinions in which I share my main takeaways from the podcast interview we released last week and set you a challenge to make the green beauty sector a better place. If you want to be the first to hear all of my latest episodes, make sure you subscribe to this podcast. So are we ready synthetic biology to become the new natural. And I'm sure at least half of my listeners are right now vehemently shaking their heads and shouting, no, Lorraine, never. How could you even suggest such a thing? Which is completely understandable, given the fact that so many of the people in the natural beauty sector specifically got into this field to avoid synthetic ingredients made in a lab. And. And here some people are proposing a return to that very scenario, but this time using natural feedstocks and natural extracts. So, are we ready for such a big shift? Well, it ultimately comes down to what we all think of as natural and how we modify our understanding of this word as time goes on. And we covered the four main shades of natural in our first ever podcast episode, which is 131 episodes ago. If you want to listen to it, it still remains our most popular podcast episode of all time here at Green Beauty Conversations. And for many of our listeners, cells grown in a lab will not be thought of as natural. In fact, I recently recorded a podcast interview with Dr. Barb Paldas, who was slightly controversial, shall we say. And as a result, I received quite a few comments from people who felt that they had to reach out and say something. I will say I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for getting in touch. So I just want to read out some of these comments and talk about them a bit because I think they make some very valid points. Now, one of our listeners commented and said, nothing grown artificially will ever be better than the actual plant created by nature. And I have some sympathy for this statement because I have to admit that it does seem to assume that humans know everything that there is to know about plants and that we're able to artificially modify whatever we need for our own use. Another listener left a comment and said, bioengineering is a means by which humans take precedence over nature. It's as if we have given up on working with nature to instead powering over her. I understand the frustrations associated with the problems created by modern technologies, but in my opinion, you cannot solve the problems created by these technologies using these same technological paradigms. Great comment. Thank you for sharing that. And I don't disagree with you, listener, but I also think that we need to be realistic in the huge amount of stuff that people consume in beauty. I'm worried about the sourcing of botanical ingredients. I'm worried about the future of wild plants. There's a reason that Formula Botanica has been a donor to Plant Life International, the amazing charity for the last nine years. I feel very passionate about this topic and I want to do whatever we can to speak up for wild plants to the point that we've actually been plant life's biggest corporate donor for a while now. And then another listener messaged us and said fear mongering about food scarcity should not be used as a tactic to convince people of the safety or validity of using bioengineered products of any kind. And I think this is a valid, a fair point to make as we have plenty of opportunities and solutions for the ways to produce food. As one final listener said, we can heal the earth, but we must reconnect with her to do so. So are we ready for synthetic biology to become the new natural? Possibly not. Not yet, or maybe not ever. Who knows? As I said in episode 122 and go back and listen to that one, I still think that we need to keep an open mind for biotechnology and beauty, but I also recognize that with great power comes great responsibility. So my challenge to you for this week is to keep talking to me when you listen to these episodes that I record for you. If you feel excited, tell me. If you feel frustrated or angry, tell me. Your comments and your feedback are greatly appreciated. Speak to me and tell me what you think. You can even DM me on Instagram. Lorraine Dallmeyer this podcast is for you and your views are important and valid. But that's also why I like to tackle some controversial topics from time to time that I know will get you talking because it's your passion that will ultimately help us make the beauty industry more sustainable. Thank you for listening to my Green Beauty opinions. Remember to visit the Formula botanica website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. And if you haven't subscribed yet to the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, please make sure you do so now in your favourite podcast app. Leave me a five star review if you enjoy the conversations. I host and I'll be back soon with my next episode. Sa.