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Anomera raises $1.7M to turn wood waste into cellulose microbeads

The Montreal, Quebec-based company describes itself as an innovator in green chemistry, materials science and sustainable manufacturing. The company converts raw materials from certified, biodiversity forest management origins into a proprietary, biodegradable, cellulose platform. Anomera says it conserves features of the strength and beauty of native cellulose, while elaborating it into highly performing products, saying it has created a new class of cellulose microbeads specifically crafted for the cosmetics and skin care industries. “The versatility of these ingredients make them a game-changer in the drive to replace environmentally damaging plastic microbeads and other artificial, mineral, and ceramic ingredients widely used in the cosmetics and skin care markets,” says the company.

As consumers become increasingly concerned about what goes into these products and the impact of industrial practices on the environment, Anomera founders Dr. Mark Andrews, Tim Morse, Monika Rak and Nathan Hordy say they have found a way to replace environmentally damaging plastic microbeads.

“We have been able to use Canadian forest industry cellulose to make game-changing cosmetic ingredients that can outperform microplastics. We really have a natural alternative to mineral, ceramic and artificial ingredients,” Anomera CTO Dr. Mark Andrews. “We take a cradle-to-cradle approach to manufacturing. It is immensely satisfying that our innovations have been validated by one of our toughest customers, an elite cosmetics industry strategic partner.”

Anomera says it is looking to use its early seed-stage funding for significant scale-up to supply large quantities of ingredients to its first customer. In the near future, Anomera will seek A-round financing to build a manufacturing facility, elaborate distribution channels, staff key employees, and continue in research and development as well as business development.

The company has received support from the incubation services of CEIM in Montreal, Que., the RIC Centre in Mississauga, Ont., and Green Centre Canada in Kingston, Ont.

“We want to move soon beyond seed financing. With the great support of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada in Mississauga, we have nearly completed scale up to significant quantities of cosmetic ingredients, and run-to-run validation of our processes,” said Andrews.