"Milk Magic" Startup Shakes Up Skin Care with Cow First Milk
Innovative company crafts antibiotic substitute from bovine milk
By Janna L
Dive into the exciting world of startups every week with Janna Linke in the "Startup - now completely honest" podcast on RTL and other podcast platforms. This week, Linke dives deep into the brand new Doderm, a startup revolutionizing skin care for humans and animals with the help of a secret ingredient: cow's first milk.
Once considered a beauty elixir by Cleopatra herself, milk has made a comeback in the skincare world - and Doderm is making the most of it. Renate, a horse groomer, used to treat mud fever, an inflammatory skin condition in horses, with antibiotic creams. Now, thanks to Doderm, she reaches for a cream enriched with colostrum - the first milk from cows - instead.
But why colostrum? "It acts like a mini-immune system that we can basically transplant onto the skin," explains Beatrix Foerster, the founder of Doderm. Using a complex process, the startup pulls the antibodies from the surplus first milk from cows, leaving the calves undisturbed.
Inspired by the growing problem of antibiotic resistances in patients while working at a biotech company, Foerster wanted to find a natural alternative form of antibodies. Thanks to her determination, Doderm was born.
But does it actually work? Often praised in social media as a wonder cure for all ailments, the effectiveness of colostrum is not universally accepted. Foerster stresses the importance of scientific backing for her products. "Our products are dermatologically tested and safe. In addition, we've conducted clinical studies that have shown a positive effect on the skin microbiome, fewer staphylococci, higher diversity of skin bacteria, and significantly less itching," she explains.
Christian Gabrielse, a veterinarian, has tested the Doderm cream on his patients. While it works more slowly than antibiotic creams, he prefers the long-term, sustainable results. "Horses given antibiotics can have negative effects on their gut flora or develop resistances, making them less effective in the long run," he notes.
So, is colostrum the future of equine skincare? It's hard to say without more scientific research and clinical trials, but Doderm is definitely onto something with this milk-based skin care. Stay tuned for more updates on this innovative startup!
- With Beatrix Foerster, founder of Doderm, Janna Linke discusses the latest in the startup scene, providing context, asking questions, and offering an all-around view in the "Startup - now completely honest" podcast. Listen now on RTL and other podcast platforms!
- Beatrix Foerster, the founder of Doderm, has developed a vocational training program for groomers, educating them on the benefits and applications of colostrum-enriched creams for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions in horses.
- In an effort to sustainably produce antibodies for their skincare products, Doderm works with dairy farmers to gather surplus first milk from cows, therefore avoiding antibiotic treatments that can negatively impact the health of cows and contribute to antibiotic resistance.
- Christian Gabrielse, a veterinarian, encourages the adoption of colostrum-based skincare treatments as they offer long-term sustainable results, contrasting with the short-term effects and potential negative side-effects associated with conventional antibiotic creams in equine skincare.
