Proya Partners with Bota Bio in Its First Strategic Move into Synthetic Biology
On May 20, 2025, Bota Bio (referred to as Bota) and Proya Co., Ltd. (referred to as Proya) held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony at Proya’s Longwu R&D Center in Hangzhou. This milestone marks Proya’s first strategic collaboration with a synthetic biology company. The partnership will focus on the integrated application of synthetic biology and AI in the innovative development and application of cosmetics and biomedical aesthetics.
Dr. Hao Cui, Co-founder and CEO of Bota; Na Zhao, Director of Personal Care at Bota; and Dr. Qimiao Shao, Chief Scientist of Personal Care at Bota, Yameng Hou, General Manager of Proya; Dr. Peiwen Sun, Chief R&D Innovation Officer; Yifeng Wang, Head of Product Development and Deputy General Manager of Incubated Brands; along with other senior leaders from both companies attended the ceremony.
At the heart of Bota’s innovation engine is the Bota Freeway® Biofoundry, an advanced platform powered by ultra-high-throughput automated strain engineering and product commercilization capabilities. This proprietary system enables rapid translation of biological designs from concept to lab-scale validation and full-scale production.
The strategic partnership between Bota and Proya will center on three key pillars: technological innovation, consumer-centric product development, and environmental responsibility. Synthetic biology is reshaping how cosmetic ingredients are discovered, developed and manufactured. Through this partnership, the two parties will co-develop AI-designed functional and customized bioactive ingredients and standardized technical solutions to help transition local beauty industry to a global leader. To meet the evolving needs of consumers, the collaboration will harness synthetic biology to deliver next-generation skincare solutions that are safer, more effective, and environmentally sustainable. Both companies are committed to green manufacturing and circular economy principles to minimize environmental impact and drive sustainable growth in the beauty sector.
Dr. Hao Cui stated: “Bota is dedicated to connecting biological design to scale-up manufacturing to accelerate shifts to sustainable living, providing industrial solutions and high-quality products for personal care, food and nutrition, and beyond. We are excited to partner with Proya to provide tailored bioactive ingredients and solutions that align with consumer needs and industry trends.”
Yameng Hou added: “Proya views technological innovation as its primary growth engine, continuously investing in R&D and expanding our global research infrastructure to enhance product performance and precisely meet consumer demands. Bota’s leadership in synthetic biology, particularly its high-throughput experimental and machine learning capabilities, presents transformative potential for the cosmetics industry. We look forward to jointly shaping the future of biotech-powered beauty.”
Through this partnership, Bota’s deep technical expertise in bioactive ingredient development will be fully integrated with Proya’s strong market acumen and product innovation capabilities. Together, the two companies will co-create a robust innovation matrix of bio-based functional ingredients, accelerating breakthroughs in both cosmetics and aesthetic medical applications.
The first jointly developed products are expected to offer consumers globally a new standard of high-performance, sustainable, and science-backed beauty solutions.