🔒NASA tech for healthy skin: Delavie Sciences emerged from deep research, and several pivots

Kyle Landry’s path to becoming the co-founder and president of skincare company Delavie Sciences was a windy one.

Originally trained in food science, he ended up doing postdoctoral research in genetics, working with aging and longevity researcher David Sinclair. This led to the spinout of Liberty Biosecurity, a firm that worked with NASA on disinfecting water on the International Space Station and eradicating Earth bacteria from Mars rovers to avoid contamination when they travelled the red planet.

From there, Landry and Sinclair took an unexpected new turn: cosmetics. The science of space exploration often dovetails with useful technology back home, and Landry has been part of that process several times. For example, the methods addressing water contamination on the space station contributed to a product to remove bacterial biofilms from diabetic foot ulcers, reducing the need to scrape the wound before using antibiotics. Another connection emerged through Landry’s career-long interest in extremophile bacteria, which are organisms living in intense conditions, such as extreme heat or cold, or very high or low pH. While working with NASA, the scientists learned about Bacillus lysate, which had been capable of surviving for a year and a half outside the space station. It has a unique ability to withstand ultraviolet radiation. “From there, we discovered that, outside of sun protection, it had amazing longevity benefits,” Landry said. Conscious that cosmetics customers might not want to buy their products from a biodefense company, Landry and Sinclair founded Delavie as a separate brand. Its first skincare serum using technology based on the bacteria launched in 2022 and achieved a half million dollars in sales within a few months with no advertising. “We said, ‘Wow, this is doing pretty well,’” Landry said.

As a lifelong Central Massachusetts resident, Landry has consistently taken advantage of the area’s scientific resources. Delavie started out housed at Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester, which serves as an nonprofit incubator for biotech startups. After outgrowing that space, it moved to renting from UMass Chan Medical School. The company works closely with the medical school as well as Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark University in its research. “They’re such a cool company,” said Jon Weaver, president and CEO of MBI. “Oftentimes when you’re doing research you find alternative pathways for that research that send you in a different direction that’s equally exciting.” Research remains a central part of what Delavie does. Landry said the company operates differently from most cosmetic companies, which typically start with a product like a cream or serum in mind and then decide what to put in it. Delavie instead begins with a problem it wants to fix, like improving skin elasticity, and looks for new research to apply. “We’re not a celebrity-endorsed brand where the idea is just a celebrity will promote it,” Landry said. Aside from Bacillus lysate, Delavie now works with other organisms, including one discovered in an abandoned gold mine 5,000 feet underground offering protection against salt, free radicals, and air pollution and helping activate collagen production. Yet another cutting-edge organism supports mitochondrial function within cells. Delavie employs five people in Worcester, where it does all its research and development work. It collaborates with partners to produce and distribute its products in facilities elsewhere in the U.S. and in Europe. In addition, it supplies raw ingredients to large cosmetics houses, including companies in Japan, the Philippines, and Europe. Delavie’s small team works with med spas and physicians, takes part in conferences, and harnesses social media like Instagram and TikTok to spread information about its technology. The company is poised for growth this year, Landry said. “As we grow and our supply chains and distribution networks scale, we’ll expand,” he said.