BRIN-ParagonCorp Partner Develops on Microalgae Research for Domestic Cosmetics

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has partnered with ParagonCorp to develop microalgae as a raw material for the cosmetics industry, marked by the signing of a Cooperation Agreement (PKS) on Research, Development, and Utilization of Microalgae.

The signing took place at ParagonCorp's Head Office in Jakarta as quoted from an official statement on Thursday, September 3, 2026. The collaboration aims to bring BRIN's research capabilities together with industry needs so that research findings don't stop in the lab, but can be put to real use by the domestic cosmetics industry.

Head of the Applied Microbiology Research Center at BRIN's Research Organization for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Ahmad Fathoni, said collaboration with industry is essential to bridge the journey of research findings from the discovery stage in the lab to the application stage in industry. He described this gap as a "valley of death" that needs to be bridged together so research outcomes can be accelerated all the way to industry.

He emphasized that this partnership is more than just signing a document, it represents a real synergy of human resources, knowledge, facilities, materials, and technological capabilities between both parties. He noted that research success shouldn't be measured by scientific publications alone, but also by its ability to produce technology and products that can be put to practical use as a national technology platform built on cosmetic raw materials made in Indonesia.

ParagonCorp's Deputy CEO and Chief R&D Officer, Sari Chairunnisa, explained that the collaboration is built on complementary capabilities BRIN's expertise in bioprospecting and microalgae development, paired with ParagonCorp's experience evaluating and applying raw materials for the cosmetics industry. In the initial phase, research will focus on exploring two microalgae biomasses, to obtain active compounds with potential use as cosmetic raw materials.

She said in the first year the research team will focus on a series of processes with the goal of identifying candidates worth developing further as cosmetic raw materials. Research will then move into a later stage involving the isolation and characterization of exosomes from the microalgae biomass, including assessing their stability and potential for use in cosmetic formulations.

For ParagonCorp, the collaboration is expected to yield new scientific knowledge, candidate cosmetic raw materials, and open up opportunities for joint publications and patents. The BRIN official responsible for the agreement at the Applied Microbiology Research Center, Rahmania Admirasari, said the research is designed to apply microalgae and the metabolic compounds it produces to meet the needs of the national cosmetics industry.

She expressed her hopes that collaboration will boost the utilization of Indonesia's biological resources as developed by domestic researchers, adding value to the national cosmetics industry. The synergy between BRIN and ParagonCorp is expected to strengthen the national research and innovation ecosystem, while helping elevate Indonesia's biological wealth from raw natural resources into value-added industrial materials developed by Indonesian researchers themselves.