L'Oréal Leads Investment in Chinese AI Biotech PAM2L

L'Oréal has taken a minority stake in PAM2L Biotechnologies, an AI-native biomaterials company founded in Shenzhen in 2021, betting that synthetic biology plus machine learning can supply its next generation of bio-based cosmetic actives.

The French group made the investment through Shanghai Meicifang Investment Co., with backing from BOLD (Business Opportunities for L'Oréal Development), its strategic corporate venture capital fund. L'Oréal was not alone in the round: Walgreens Boots Alliance, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group and capital investment firm Guangxin Group also participated. The funding went to Shenzhen Boyin Biotechnology, the parent behind the PAM2L start-up.

This is not a cold first date. PAM2L won L'Oréal's Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program in 2024, and the two companies already work together commercially. One PAM2L-derived ingredient, Augmented Colanic Acid, is already on shelf — it features in L'Oréal Paris' Age Perfect Collagen Royal Series. For formulation teams, that matters: the deal converts a supplier relationship into an equity partnership, which typically means earlier access to pipeline molecules and joint development rights.

What does the deal actually change?

For practitioners watching the actives space, the signal is the longevity framing. Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO of L'Oréal Groupe in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology, said: "By merging L'Oréal's 116 years of scientific mastery with PAM2L's pioneering biotech and AI expertise, this collaboration will accelerate the development of high-performing bio-based ingredients, specifically within the promising frontier of longevity."

She added: "Our investment in PAM2L marks a decisive new chapter in our commitment to leveraging the vibrant ecosystem of AI-enabled biotechnology in China."

Note the careful separation here: those are corporate statements of intent, not trial data. No endpoint, no clinical readout accompanies the announcement. The concrete deliverable so far is Augmented Colanic Acid's commercial deployment, not published efficacy evidence.

Who is PAM2L?

The company was founded in 2021 by Dr Zhong Chao, a researcher from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he remains founder and chief scientist. PAM2L runs an integrated technology platform combining high-throughput synthetic biology with AI to design next-generation biomaterials carrying novel functionalities.

Chao framed the partnership in practical terms: "Partnering with L'Oréal will accelerate our path from lab to market. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with L'Oréal, bringing biomaterials innovation to empower the global beauty and health industries, and together shaping new possibilities for beauty in the era of longevity."

China stays central to L'Oréal's innovation strategy

Vincent Boinay, President of L'Oréal North Asia Zone and CEO of L'Oréal China, reinforced the geographic logic: "We firmly believe in the immense innovation potential of the Chinese market. Our investment in PAM2L is a concrete step in our long-term dedication to growing hand-in-hand with China's open innovation landscape."

He confirmed the Big Bang connection was the entry point: "We first connected with PAM2L through the Big Bang, and we are impressed by their leading capabilities in systematically developing innovative biomolecules."

For anyone tracking where cosmeceutical actives originate, the pattern is now hard to miss. L'Oréal is sourcing venture-style from Chinese synthetic-biology platforms, using its incubator program as a scouting funnel, and moving winning molecules into mass-market lines like Age Perfect at speed.

Neither company disclosed the deal value, the size of the minority stake, or a development timeline. Expect the next concrete signal — beyond statements — to be the appearance of additional PAM2L-derived bio-actives, positioned around longevity, in future L'Oréal formulation announcements.