JeNaCell
JeNaCell GmbH is a German biosynthetic cellulose manufacturer producing epicite® wound dressings and biocellic® base materials for medical device, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry partners. A wholly-owned Evonik Industries subsidiary founded in 2012.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersJena, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What JeNaCell does
JeNaCell GmbH is a German specialty biomaterials company that develops and manufactures biosynthetic cellulose products for medical device, pharmaceutical, and professional skin care applications. Founded in 2012 as a spin-off from Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and acquired by Evonik Industries AG in 2021, the company operates today as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Evonik's Health Care division, with its headquarters and production facilities in Jena, Germany.
The company's core technology is a proprietary biotechnological fermentation process that uses a protected acetic acid bacteria strain to produce biosynthetic cellulose — a nature-inspired hydropolymer consisting of approximately 5% cellulose and 95% water with a 3D nanofiber network. Manufacturing is conducted at commercial scale using a globally unique, automated technology enabling continuous planar production, and the production process is certified to DIN EN ISO 13485:2016. JeNaCell's product portfolio centers on two brands: the biocellic® base material, offered for custom development partnerships in drug delivery, transdermal patches, and dermatological formulations, and the epicite® wound dressing line, with three variants — epicite® BALANCE for chronic wounds, epicite® CALM for post-aesthetic treatment care, and epicite® RESCUE for advanced burn treatment.
The business operates an enterprise field-sales go-to-market, engaging medical device, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic customers through direct contact, trade show participation, and scientific congress presence across Europe and globally. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: branded epicite® product sales, custom development services leveraging JeNaCell's process and product design expertise, and licensing of biocellic® base material to industrial partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled via direct inquiry. The company maintains a small team (1-10 employees) and provides no public revenue figures.
JeNaCell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- JeNaCell
- Legal name
- JeNaCell GmbH
- Website
- https://jenacell.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- JeNaCell GmbH is a German biosynthetic cellulose manufacturer producing epicite® wound dressings and biocellic® base materials for medical device, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry partners. A wholly-owned Evonik Industries subsidiary founded in 2012.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
JeNaCell industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biomedical Materials
- NAICS
- Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411)
- SIC
- Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nanocellulose & Cellulose Derivatives (CNC/CNF, MCC, ethers/esters) (IMAMALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biochemicals & Bio-based Platform Chemicals (cellulose sugars, lignin derivatives, organic acids) (IMAMALAB), Biorefinery Technology & Contract Processing (fractionation, tolling, scale-up) (IMAMALAL), Wound Healing & Skin Regeneration (advanced dressings, skin substitutes) (HLAAAGAG)
Keywords
Where JeNaCell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jena
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
JeNaCell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Product Sales (epicite® Brand): Sale of branded wound dressing products including epicite® BALANCE for chronic wounds, epicite® CALM for medical aesthetics post-treatment care, and epicite® RESCUE for advanced burn treatment. Products are medical device quality hydro-active dressings.
- Custom Development Services: Partnering with customers to develop customized biosynthetic cellulose solutions for drug delivery, medical devices, and cosmetic applications. Customers benefit from JeNaCell's expertise in process and product design, biosynthetic cellulose technology, and academic/industrial partner network.
- biocellic® Material Licensing: Licensing of biosynthetic cellulose base material biocellic® to pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies for custom developments in drug delivery systems, transdermal patches, and dermatological applications.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
JeNaCell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
JeNaCell develops and manufactures biosynthetic cellulose-based products using a proprietary biotechnological fermentation process with acetic acid bacteria. The portfolio centers on the biocellic® base material and the epicite® wound dressing brand (BALANCE for chronic wounds, CALM for post-aesthetic treatment care, RESCUE for advanced burn treatment), supported by custom biomaterial development services for medical device, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry partners.
Product overview
JeNaCell offers a portfolio of biosynthetic cellulose products centered around their base material biocellic® and wound dressing brand epicite®. The product line includes three epicite® variants: epicite® BALANCE for chronic wounds, epicite® CALM for post-aesthetic treatment care, and epicite® RESCUE for burn treatment. The company also provides drug delivery systems and professional skin care applications using their 3D biosynthetic cellulose technology. Products are manufactured through a biotechnological fermentation process using bacteria to produce a nature-inspired hydropolymer with unique material properties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- epicite® BALANCE: Wound dressings designed for the treatment of chronic and slow healing wounds, composed of biosynthetic cellulose and more than 95 percent isotonic saline.
- epicite® CALM
- epicite® RESCUE
- biocellic®
Products and services
- epicite® BALANCE Wound dressings composed of biosynthetic cellulose and more than 95 percent isotonic saline, designed for the treatment of chronic and slow healing wounds.
- epicite® CALM World's first hydro-active wound dressing from biosynthetic cellulose in medical device quality, designed for post-treatment care in medical aesthetics following skin treatments such as peels, micro-needling, and laser treatments.
- epicite® RESCUE Wound dressing tailored for advanced burn treatment that establishes an optimal moist wound environment, promotes effective wound healing, and provides a mild cooling effect and pain relief.
- biocellic® Soft, flexible, moist, and cool biosynthetic cellulose base material produced through biotechnological fermentation from sugar; can be produced as fleeces, films, or fiber suspensions and tailored to different applications in drug delivery, medical devices, and cosmetics.
Quantifiable outcome
- No cytotoxic or sensitizing effects demonstrated per DIN EN ISO 10993-5 and DIN EN ISO 10993-10
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use JeNaCell
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
JeNaCell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
JeNaCell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
JeNaCell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Organogenesis: US regenerative medicine company specializing in bioengineered skin substitutes and wound care products (Apligraf, Dermagraft). Comparable as a bioengineered-material specialist selling into the same advanced wound care end-market.
- Bowil Biotech: Polish producer of bacterial cellulose wound dressings (CelMat). Direct competitor in biosynthetic cellulose-based wound care, the most head-to-head comparable to JeNaCell's epicite® line in terms of material technology.
- MiMedx: US-based regenerative medicine company selling dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allografts for wound care and surgical recovery. Comparable as a premium-priced bio-material wound-care specialist competing for similar clinical use cases.
Broad incumbents
- ConvaTec: Publicly-listed wound care specialist (Aquacel, DuoDERM). Comparable as a chronic wound and post-surgical dressing competitor with similar hospital-channel go-to-market.
- Coloplast: Danish wound and skin care specialist (Biatain, Comfeel). Direct competitor in advanced wound dressings with global presence and strong reimbursement relationships.
- 3M Health Care (Medical Solutions): Diversified medical products business including advanced wound dressings (Tegaderm). Competes in same hospital channel and has far greater scale, distribution, and R&D resources.
- Smith+Nephew: Major advanced wound management player (Allevyn, PICO). Competes in the same chronic wound and burn dressing category that epicite® addresses, with established global distribution and clinical evidence base.
- Evonik Industries (Health Care division): JeNaCell's parent company and the platform through which its products are commercialized. Evonik's broader Health Care division (including pharmaceutical excipients, drug delivery) provides adjacent peer context as the distribution and development backbone.
- Mölnlycke Health Care: Global leader in advanced wound care (Mepilex, Mepitel) and single-use surgical products. Directly competes with epicite® in the hospital wound-dressing market with much broader portfolio, sales force, and reimbursement infrastructure.
Emerging players
- S2Medical AB: Swedish medtech focused on advanced wound care, including burns and chronic wounds. Comparable emerging specialist competing in the same burn and chronic wound dressing category as epicite® RESCUE and BALANCE.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
JeNaCell social profiles
Digital presenceJeNaCell compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
JeNaCell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
JeNaCell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
JeNaCell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
JeNaCell M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about JeNaCell
What does JeNaCell do?
JeNaCell develops and manufactures biosynthetic cellulose-based products using a proprietary biotechnological fermentation process with acetic acid bacteria. The portfolio centers on the biocellic® base material and the epicite® wound dressing brand (BALANCE for chronic wounds, CALM for post-aesthetic treatment care, RESCUE for advanced burn treatment), supported by custom biomaterial development services for medical device, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry partners.
Is JeNaCell a public or private company?
JeNaCell is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was JeNaCell founded?
JeNaCell was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is JeNaCell based?
JeNaCell is headquartered in Jena, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does JeNaCell make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Sales (epicite® Brand) is the primary driver. The others are custom Development Services and biocellic® Material Licensing.
Who are JeNaCell's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Organogenesis, Bowil Biotech and MiMedx. Broad incumbents are ConvaTec, Coloplast, 3M Health Care (Medical Solutions), Smith+Nephew, Evonik Industries (Health Care division) and Mölnlycke Health Care. S2Medical AB is listed as an emerging player.
Does JeNaCell have an API?
No public API is recorded for JeNaCell.
What industry is JeNaCell in?
JeNaCell's product category is Biomedical Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMALAD, Nanocellulose & Cellulose Derivatives (CNC/CNF, MCC, ethers/esters), with a secondary code of IMAMALAB, Biochemicals & Bio-based Platform Chemicals (cellulose sugars, lignin derivatives, organic acids). Its NAICS code is 32522 and its SIC code is 2820.