Modern Aesthetics Exclusive: The Ones to Watch

Modern Aesthetics® magazine was the exclusive media partner for Octane’s Aesthetics Tech Forum 2023, and our team had front-row seats to the 2-day immersive experience in Newport Beach, CA.

The meeting features a Shark Tank-style LaunchPad Small Business Development Center (SBDC) accelerator where entrepreneurs present their products and concepts and chat with seasoned advisors to improve their chances of success in the hot aesthetics market.

“We believe that the presenting companies that participate in this event have the potential to be set up for great success, as they will have the chance to connect with peers and potential partners, gain exposure for their innovations, and receive valuable feedback from experts in the industry,” says Bill Carpou, CEO of Octane. “The forum serves as a catalyst for growth and innovation in the industry, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact that the 2023 event will have on the startups and the industry as a whole.”

Lumisque, the CO2LIFT Gel Carboxy Line

“We have the first gel carboxy for the face, body, and vulva/vagina,” says Lumisque CEO Lana Kerr, “The CO2Lift carboxy gel can be compared to a topical hyperbaric chamber and is often referred to by physicians as the ‘jet fuel’ for skin regeneration.”

When two packets are mixed, the gel creates carbon dioxide, which enters the skin’s dermal layer, triggering a series of events that result in highly oxygenated tissue, Kerr says. “CO2Lift can be used as a standalone to regenerate and maintain thick, healthy glowing skin,” Kerr says. “It also is used as a preparation before any procedure as well as post-procedure to significantly reduce downtime and enhance results.”

Kerr’s passion is the CO2LiftV-Vulva Vaginal treatment. “It increases blood flow and helps to address dryness and increase sensitivity,” she says. “It’s recommended to do five to 10 treatments within 2 to 4 weeks [and] then maintain with monthly treatments.”

Her participation at Octane reinforced and reaffirmed her belief in the product’s potential. “Because Octane promotes innovation and from the positive response I received, it confirmed and reinforced our decision to promote this treatment as there is a definite opening in the market,” Kerr says.

Now, her company is speaking with investors. “If this comes to fruition, it will help to accelerate our growth plan,” she says. “We are moving full steam ahead in education and growth of the CO2Lift Carboxy brand.”

Spiderwort, CelluJuve

Octane Aesthetics Tech Forum 2023 Judges’ Choice Winner

Spiderwort’s platform technology leverages the cellulose microstructures found in plants to generate biomaterial scaffolds that are resistant to degradation and may play a role in soft tissue augmentation for aesthetic enhancements.

Enter CelluJuve, an injectable that allows superior control and the use of smaller needles and enables precise corrections to decrease the probability of adverse events.

“With its unique and ideal viscoelastic properties, CelluJuve improves firmness and support levels while remaining flexible to better match the native tissue environment,” says Spiderwort CEO and cofounder Charles M. Cuerrier.

Octane Medical Aesthetics Forum was packed with key learnings for the Spiderwort team. “At the forum, we had the opportunity to connect with innovators and partners in different facets of the medical aesthetics community, which introduced the team to new insights and new relationships,” says Cuerrier.

Now, the company is looking forward to transitioning from pre-clinical studies to clinical trials and working toward regulatory approval.

“As we focus on this next phase of trials, we are committed to ongoing research and development to reach this milestone and also to explore potential new applications for our cellulose-based biomaterials,” he says. “We are excited to continue to innovate in this space and look forward to delivering a transformative option to the medical and medical aesthetics community.”

StimuSIL Inc., StimuSIL

StimuSIL is a novel hair regrowth device that uses patented technology to deliver pulsed laser energy directly to the hair follicle, improving the efficiency of conventional lasers, explains Ana Villalba, CEO of StimuSIL, Inc.

The company is on the move. “It is important to build a strong go-to-market strategy, thinking first what is good for the product long term rather than focusing on possible company exit strategies,” she says. “After completing our human trials, our main goal is to get US Food and Drug Administration clearance and CE marking in Europe and place our hair loss medical device into the market.”

Yuva Biosciences, Inc.

Octane Aesthetics Tech Forum 2023 People’s Choice Winner

YuvaBio has developed products that fight hair and skin aging by restoring mitochondrial function, says CEO Greg Schmergel. “Mitochondria provide most of the energy for the cells in our body, and over time, they decline in function, providing less and less energy which causes aging, overall, and specifically for the hair and skin where aging is seen through multiple effects including hair loss and skin wrinkles,” he explains. “Out of the millions of natural compounds in existence, our proprietary platform has identified specific natural compounds that restore mitochondrial function and can be applied topically to the skin and the hair, thus addressing aging at the root cause.”

Participating in Octane Aesthetics Tech Forum 2023 helped this growing brand advance to the next level. “Octane ATF was the perfect place to see that the aesthetics industry is still full of innovation and excitement, despite the global economic downturn, and that serious scientific innovation such as ours based on decades of mitochondrial science is very much welcomed,” he says.

Now, YuvaBio is working on products for hair growth and skin rejuvenation as well as those specifically focused on hair graying and skin hyperpigmentation. “We are partnering up with well-known, respected, and up-and-coming companies, which will be bringing these products to market under their own brands,” he says. “We have multiple clinical trials ongoing and planned in partnership with these companies. We are also currently raising a round of funding to help support all of these activities.”

Syntr Health Technologies, the SyntrFuge System

The SyntrFuge System is a US Food and Drug Administration-cleared automated fat-processing system, explains Ahmed Zobi, CEO of Syntr Health Technologies. “We break apart the fat and micronize it into smaller pieces so, when it is reinjected, it is retained better, providing better results for the patients.”

By contrast, other fat-processing systems on the market mainly wash away fat or wick away oil and blood, he says. Some do micronize fat parcels, but it is a more manual and laborious process, he adds. The SyntrFuge System is fully automated—a huge plus for doctors.

So far, the results speak for themselves, he says. “Patients are loving their new look, and their skin quality is amazing,” Zobi tells Modern Aesthetics® magazine. “The SyntrFuge System is currently being used in facial rejuvenation and for breast cancer reconstructive surgery to reduce scarring and scar tissue, add volume, and make the tissue more supple.”

Octane Launchpad provided access to key opinion leaders in the aesthetics field, including dermatologists, dermatologic surgeons, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons, he says. The dialogues have been fruitful. “Some of them have come back and asked, ‘Can I use The SyntrFuge System for Brazilian butt lifts, body contouring, or even hand rejuvenation for older patients?’ and I say, ‘Let’s do it’ or ‘We can do a case study on that.’”

Now, he plans to continue to grow the Syntr team and continue to expand its footprint in the aesthetics market.

TissueForm, NatruDerme

TissueForm’s first product, NatruDerme, is a dermal filler designed to mimic skin, explains Jeanne Barthold, cofounder of TissueForm. “NatruDerme is a two-component product made up of a non-cellular tissue powder combined with hyaluronic acid that crosslinks after injection using a unique (non-1,4-Butanediol diglycidyl ether [BDDE]) chemistry,” she says.

So far, TissueForm has completed animal studies comparing NatruDerme to five key products on the market, and these studies showed that the former promoted a biologic tissue repair response (biostimulatory filler), was long-lasting (2 years predicted in humans), and had the lowest levels of migration and swelling of all the products, and maintained the advantages of being natural and reversible. The last are key if side effects arise or the patient is unsatisfied with the treatment.

From what Barthold learned at Octane’s Aesthetics Tech Forum 2023, this is exactly what the cosmetic market wants. “There is a distinct trend in the filler space towards innovation in products that are biostimulatory, but one of the key limiting factors is reversibility,” she says.

“The Octane community and discussions with physicians at the conference were incredibly valuable as we were able to learn from leaders who are in the trenches with patients daily but who are also passionate about innovation and growth of novel products,” she says. “We aim to maintain and grow relationships with those in the Octane network as we advance NatruDerme.”

TissueForm is actively raising a $2.5M seed round to complete the transition to Current Good Manufacturing Practices for NatruDerme and finish preclinical studies with Current Good Laboratory Practices. “This will enable an FDA investigational device exemption filing and approval to begin clinical trials within 18 months,” she says. “NatruDerme is targeted to enter the market in the first half of 2026.”