What Naturbeads does

Naturbeads is a University of Bath spinout founded in 2018 that develops and manufactures biodegradable cellulose microspheres as a replacement for intentionally added plastic microbeads in cosmetics, paints and coatings, life science, and industrial products. Its core technology is a patented green-solvent process that dissolves cellulose fibers and reforms them into perfectly spherical, uniform beads (1–50 µm) using membrane emulsification and phase inversion, with all solvents recovered in a continuous closed-loop system. The platform is extensible to other biopolymers and is also being applied to advanced applications such as cultured meat microcarriers, enzyme immobilization carriers for dialysis, and thermally stable vaccine formulations.

The company operates a B2B ingredient model, selling bulk cellulose microspheres directly to enterprise formulators and supporting them with samples, regulatory dossiers, and traceability documentation. It sells through enterprise field sales supported by participation in industry events such as in-cosmetics Global, the Sustainable Beauty Forum, and SMAU, and is embedded in the TRASCE consortium alongside L'Oréal, CHANEL, Shiseido, and Albéa. Following a £7.8M Series A led by Eos Advisory in 2024 and €4.1M in EU Structural Fund support, Naturbeads commissioned its first commercial plant in Surbo (Lecce), Italy at the end of 2025 with a nameplate capacity of 10 tonnes per year, targeting a commercial production ramp in June 2026 and scalability to 1,000 kg/day. Pricing is quote-based and undisclosed; the company states its products are cost-competitive with plastic microbeads, and is positioned to benefit from EU Regulation 2023/2055, which phases out intentionally added microplastics in rinse-off cosmetics from October 2027, in leave-on products from October 2029, and in lip, nail, and makeup products from October 2035.

Name

Naturbeads

Legal name

Naturbeads Ltd.

Website

https://naturbeads.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Naturbeads manufactures biodegradable cellulose microspheres as a drop-in replacement for plastic microbeads, serving B2B customers in cosmetics, paints and coatings, life sciences, and industrial applications from its UK R&D base and newly commissioned Italian commercial plant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biodegradable Specialty Materials

NAICS

Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521)

SIC

Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Cellulose-Based Biodegradable Materials (cellulose films, fibers, derivatives) (IMAEAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compostable Materials & Certified Compostables (IMAEAOAC), Biodegradable Packaging Materials (films, trays, foams) (IMAEAOAB), Bio-based Packaging Materials (molded fiber, bio-barrier coatings, compostables) (IMAMALAI)

Keywords

• Cellulose microspheres
• Biodegradable microbeads
• Microplastic alternatives
• Biopolymer particles
• Sustainable specialty ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cellulose Microsphere Sales: Direct sale of biodegradable cellulose microsphere ingredients to cosmetics, paints, coatings, and industrial product manufacturers. The company operates production facilities and sells materials in bulk to B2B customers incorporating the microspheres into their formulations. First commercial plant operational in 2025 with production ramping up in 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Naturbeads manufactures and sells biodegradable cellulose microspheres (1–50 µm) using a patented green-solvent process and membrane emulsification technology, selling the bulk ingredients to B2B customers in cosmetics, paints and coatings, life sciences, and industrial applications as a direct replacement for intentionally added plastic microbeads. The company operates its first commercial plant in Surbo, Italy (commissioned end of 2025) with 10 tonnes/year capacity, scalable to 1000 kg/day. It is also developing next-generation biodegradable capsules for advanced applications.

Product overview

Naturbeads offers a core platform technology that transforms cellulose—the most abundant biopolymer on Earth—into perfectly spherical, biodegradable microspheres that replace plastic microparticles. The main product line includes Cellulose Microspheres as the foundational offering, applied across four key sectors: Cosmetics (sensory enhancers, opacifiers, film formers), Life Science (cell culture substrates, enzyme carriers, vaccine formulations), Paints & Coatings (durability, VOC reduction, thixotropy), and Industrial (fillers, separators, drilling fluids). The company is also developing Next-Generation Biodegradable Capsules as a future sub-product. Production capacity is scalable up to 1000 kg/day, with the first commercial plant operational in Surbo, Italy since 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cellulose Microspheres Biodegradable microspheres made from cellulose that replace plastic microparticles in cosmetics, paints, coatings, life science, and industrial applications. The particles are 100% biodegradable, feature perfect sphericity, controlled porosity (1–50 µm), and deliver the same performance as plastics at 95% lower environmental footprint. Sold as bulk ingredients to B2B manufacturers.
• Next-Generation Biodegradable Capsules Advanced capsule technologies being developed using the company's multi-biopolymer platform for smart biodegradable capsules and next-generation biopolymers for enhanced sustainability applications beyond current cellulose-based particles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional microplastic manufacturing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, emerging and minor.

• VaxhubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2024Collaboration with UCL and German AI startup Vitafluence to develop thermally stable vaccine formulations based on cellulose microspheres. Project aims to decrease vaccine wastage and improve vaccine accessibility by eliminating cold chain requirements. Using AI platform to model microsphere-antigen interactions.
• Chiral VisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint R&D project on biodegradable carriers for enzyme immobilization. Collaboration continues with ambition to scale prototypes for home dialysis applications with Next Kidney. Eureka Network funded project combining Naturbeads' cellulose microspheres with Chiral Vision's enzyme immobilization expertise.
• Cellular AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development and testing of prototype carriers for cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation in cultured meat production. Successfully tested with C2C12 cells, pork fat cells, fish stem cells, and bovine satellite cells. Project in exploitation phase with ongoing sampling to interested companies.
• University College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in vaccine development project alongside Vaxhub, working on thermally stable vaccine formulations using cellulose microspheres as carriers.
• Next KidneyemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture collaboration planned for scaling enzyme immobilization carriers for home dialysis applications, building on Cellulozyme project with Chiral Vision. EIC grant application in progress for pilot scale testing.
• AINIA InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish research institute collaboration on cultured meat microcarriers, presenting joint research at ISCCM10 on comparison of Naturbeads and commercial microcarriers.
• TRASCE ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner15 major cosmetics companies consortium focused on ingredient and packaging supply chain traceability. Members include Albéa, CHANEL, L'Oréal Groupe, and Shiseido working on sustainable cosmetics innovations.
• Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in £12M CARMA Hub led by University of Bath. Seven-year project to revolutionize food production through cellular agriculture, transforming to sustainable manufacturing models.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Notpla: UK-based startup producing seaweed-based biodegradable packaging and film materials. Comparable as a European deep-tech sustainable materials company selling bio-based alternatives into regulated industries; serves as an analogous scaling-stage peer in the UK biodegradable materials ecosystem.
• Kelpi: UK-based startup producing seaweed-derived bioplastic coatings for cosmetics and personal care packaging. Comparable as an early-stage UK sustainable materials company targeting the same cosmetics microplastic-replacement opportunity from an adjacent material angle.
• Aquapak Polymers: UK startup producing fully biodegradable polymer formulations (Hydropol) for packaging, coatings, and fiber applications. Comparable as a European deep-tech biodegradable materials company at similar stage, addressing EU regulatory pressure on single-use plastics and microplastics.

Direct peers

• CelluForce: Canadian producer of CelluForce NCC, cellulose nanocrystals used as performance additives in cosmetics, coatings, and industrial applications. Directly comparable to Naturbeads as a cellulose-derived micro/nano particle supplier targeting cosmetics and coatings with biodegradable positioning.
• Borregaard: Norwegian biorefinery producing specialty cellulose-based ingredients (Exilva microfibrillated cellulose) for cosmetics, paints, and industrial uses. Comparable as a wood/cellulose-based microsphere alternative supplier serving the same application verticals with sustainable positioning.
• Anomera: Canadian startup producing cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) for cosmetics and personal care applications. Closely comparable as a deep-tech cellulose microsphere/nanocrystal producer targeting the cosmetics ingredient market with biodegradability claims.

Broad incumbents

• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals major with a portfolio in cosmetics ingredients, coating additives, and biopolymers. Comparable as a broad incumbent with the R&D depth and customer reach to compete in biodegradable micro-particle ingredients for cosmetics and coatings.
• Croda International: Global specialty chemicals leader with a personal care and coatings portfolio that includes bio-based and sustainable ingredients. Comparable as a large incumbent supplying formulated ingredients into the same cosmetics and coatings customers Naturbeads targets.
• BASF: Largest chemical company globally with a bioplastics, ecovio, and sustainable cosmetics ingredients portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could enter the cellulose microbead replacement space through its existing personal care and coatings customer relationships.
• Sappi Biotech: South African/European pulp and paper major with a biotech division commercializing cellulose-based materials (including nano/micro cellulose grades) for cosmetics, food, and industrial applications. Comparable as a major cellulose原料 incumbent pivoting toward bio-based specialty ingredients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Naturbeads
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturbeads
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearenaturbeads

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Naturbeads