Green Science Materials

What Green Science Materials does

Green Science Materials Inc. (グリーンサイエンス・マテリアル株式会社) is a Japanese specialty chemical company founded in April 2007 in Kumamoto, Japan, that produces and sells Sacran® (サクラン®), a high-molecular-weight sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the freshwater cyanobacterium Suizenjinori (Aphanothece sacrum / スイゼンジノリ). The company operates a vertically integrated model spanning upstream cultivation (its own aquaculture facility in Mashiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, and joint indoor mass-production technology co-developed with DIC Corporation in August 2022) through extraction and sale of two product lines: Sacran® (outdoor-cultivated, available in F and B variants) and Sacranex™ (indoor-cultivated, a DIC-registered trademark). Sacran® is positioned as a premium cosmetic raw material with technical specifications claimed at approximately 5x the water retention of hyaluronic acid in pure water (10x in saline), 4x the viscosity of xanthan gum at 1% concentration, and demonstrated anti-inflammatory and skin-barrier-forming properties; the underlying extraction method is protected by Patent No. 4066443 (granted January 2008).

The company sells exclusively on a B2B basis to cosmetics and skincare product manufacturers, packaging the ingredient in 1KG polyethylene bottles with a three-year shelf life and room-temperature/dark-place storage requirements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires direct inquiry. Its primary customer segment is cosmetics and skincare manufacturers formulating moisturizing lotions, serums, all-in-one gels, face mask essences, and barrier-function products for sensitive skin; a secondary, future-state segment includes medical, food, and industrial application developers. Distribution is currently domestic (Japan) direct sales, with global expansion planned through DIC Corporation's international chemicals distribution network following the February 2023 third-party share allocation that made Green Science Materials a consolidated subsidiary of DIC Corporation (TSE: 4631). As a DIC Group company, its growth optionality now rests on leveraging parent's capital, indoor cultivation scale-up, and global reach to commercialize Sacran®/Sacranex™ into broader ingredient markets beyond its historically Japan-centric, niche-scale operations.

Name

Green Science Materials

Legal name

グリーンサイエンス・マテリアル株式会社

Website

https://gsmi.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Green Science Materials is a Japanese specialty chemical company that cultivates Suizenjinori cyanobacteria and extracts Sacran®/Sacranex™, a patented high-water-retention polysaccharide sold as a B2B cosmetic raw material to skincare manufacturers. It operates as a consolidated subsidiary of DIC Corporation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cosmetic Ingredients

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydrocolloids, Thickeners & Gelling Agents (Pectin, Xanthan, Carrageenan, Gelatin) (CRADAOAD)

Keywords

• Cosmetic raw materials
• Polysaccharide ingredients
• Skincare formulations
• Natural moisturizers
• Cyanobacteria extracts

Headquarters

HQ city

Kumamoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sacular® Raw Material Sales: Sale of Sacular®F and Sacular®B (and Sacranex™F and Sacranex™B) as cosmetic ingredient raw materials in bulk quantities (1KG bottles). Revenue from B2B customers in cosmetics industry.
2. Sacranex™ Raw Material Sales: Sale of indoor-cultivated Suizenjinori-derived Sacular® marketed under the Sacranex™ brand (Sacranex®F, Sacranex®B), targeting customers requiring stable quality and volume supply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Green Science Materials cultivates the freshwater cyanobacterium Suizenjinori (Aphanothece sacrum) and extracts the high-molecular-weight sulfated polysaccharide Sacran® for sale as a cosmetic ingredient raw material. The company sells Sacran®F, Sacran®B, Sacranex®F, and Sacranex®B in 1KG polyethylene bottles to cosmetics and skincare manufacturers for use as moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and skin-barrier-forming agents in lotions, serums, masks, and other skincare formulations.

Product overview

Green Science Materials offers a portfolio of cosmetic ingredient products derived from Suizenjinori (Aphanothece sacrum), a Japanese freshwater blue-green algae. The core product is Sacran® (サクラン®), a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide with exceptional water-retention capacity (approximately 5x that of hyaluronic acid), marketed in two variants: Sacran® F and Sacran® B for outdoor-cultivated algae. The sub-brand SACRANEX™ (サクラネクス®), available in F and B variants, is derived from indoor mass-cultivated Suizenjinori, enabling stable supply and species preservation. These products are positioned as premium cosmetic ingredients for moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and skin-barrier applications in skincare formulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• サクラン® (Sacran®): A high-molecular-weight sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the freshwater cyanobacterium suizenjinori (Aphanothece sacrum). Features approximately 5x the water-retention capacity of hyaluronic acid (in pure water) and approximately 10x in saline. Used as a moisturizing agent in skincare and cosmetic products.
• サクラネクス® (Sacranex®)

Products and services

• Sacran® (サクラン®) A high-molecular-weight sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Suizenjinori (Aphanothece sacrum), offered in F (water-based with phenoxyethanol preservative) and B (1,3-butylene glycol-based) formulations. Sold in 1KG polyethylene bottles as a cosmetic raw material ingredient offering approximately 5x the water-retention of hyaluronic acid, with anti-inflammatory and skin-barrier-forming properties. INCI name: Aphanothece Sacrum Polysaccharides.
• Sacranex® (SACRANEX™) Sacran® polysaccharide derived from indoor artificially cultivated Suizenjinori (as opposed to outdoor farmed), enabling stable quality and mass production while preserving the species. Available in F and B variants for cosmetic ingredient applications. Registered trademark owned by DIC Corporation.
• Aphanothece sacrum / Suizenjinori (スイゼンジノリ) Japanese endemic freshwater blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that grows exclusively in the mineral-rich groundwater of the Aso mountain region in Kyushu. One of the few edible cyanobacteria, rich in calcium and iron. Cultivated by Green Science Materials in its Mashiki Town aquaculture facility as the source organism for Sacran® and Sacranex™ extraction.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 国立大学法人 北陸先端科学技術大学院大学 (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - JAIST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2007Collaborative research partnership established October 2007 with JAIST Material Science Research Institute Kaneko Laboratory. Researchers from JAIST discovered Sacular® extraction method from Suizenjinori in 2006, which led to the founding of the company.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ashland: Specialty chemicals company with a personal-care division offering biofunctional actives, rheology modifiers, and film-formers to cosmetic formulators. Comparable product categories and customer segments.
• Symrise: Major supplier of cosmetic actives, fragrances, and functional ingredients to the personal-care industry, including bioactive and naturally derived ingredients. Comparable B2B ingredient model with global reach.
• Evonik Industries: Major specialty chemicals producer with a personal-care ingredients portfolio that includes hyaluronic acid (the benchmark GSM benchmarks against) and other bio-based actives. Comparable as a B2B ingredient supplier, though much larger and broader in scope.
• Lubrizol Life Science (Berkshire Hathaway): Specialty polymer and ingredient producer serving personal care, including rheology modifiers and skin-conditioning polymers. Comparable B2B ingredient model targeting cosmetics formulators.
• Givaudan: Global leader in fragrance and beauty ingredients, including active cosmetic ingredients from natural sources. Comparable as a premium B2B supplier to cosmetics brands, with similar innovation-driven differentiation.
• BASF: Largest diversified chemical company with a substantial personal-care ingredients division supplying humectants, actives, and polymers to cosmetics formulators worldwide. Comparable end-customer base and channel, though portfolio is vastly broader.

Direct peers

• SEPPIC (Air Liquide): Specialty cosmetic and pharmaceutical excipient manufacturer under Air Liquide, producing rheology modifiers, polysaccharides, and skincare actives. Directly comparable as a specialty ingredient supplier with similar application focus and formulation-support model.
• Croda International: Global specialty ingredients company selling natural and bio-derived cosmetic actives (including polysaccharides and marine/algal extracts) to formulators. Closest business-model analog to GSM as a B2B specialty ingredient supplier with R&D-driven differentiation.

Emerging players

• Bloomage Biotechnology: Chinese leader in hyaluronic acid fermentation and a rising supplier of other bio-fermented cosmetic actives. Comparable as a polysaccharide-based ingredient specialist and direct competitor in the humectant/moisturizer category.

Regional players

• Kewpie Corporation: Japanese food and ingredient company with a Fine Chemicals division producing cosmetic and biomedical ingredients (e.g., hyaluronic acid, eggshell membrane, sucrose esters). Comparable Japanese-domestic B2B ingredient supplier with similar customer types.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Green Science Materials