Sparxell raises £2.3m seed to replace synthetic colourants with plant cellulose pigments
This article covers Sparxell, a Cambridge materials startup that has raised £2.3m in a seed funding round made up of seed investments, grants and awards to advance plant-based pigments intended to replace synthetic chemicals in colourants across cosmetics, textiles, paint and packaging. The funding is intended to support pilot manufacture, further commercial trials and product development partnerships to test and scale biodegradable, toxin-free pigments for those sectors.
Sparxell, a Cambridge materials startup, has raised £2.3m in a seed funding round made up of seed investments, grants and awards to advance plant‑based pigments aimed at replacing synthetic chemicals in colourants across cosmetics, textiles, paint and packaging. The round brings financing and strategic validation from global climate and consumer-focused funds as the company prepares pilot manufacture and further commercial trials.
Why it matters
Synthetic colourants are a significant source of chemical pollution and microplastics across multiple industries. Sparxell’s approach targets a large and growing colourants market estimated at about £27.8bn today and forecast to exceed £73bn by 2030, with applications spanning beauty, fashion, packaging and paint. If the pigments can meet industrial performance and cost thresholds, they could reduce reliance on fossil‑based chemicals and cut downstream waste and microplastic emissions.
Inside the product
Sparxell uses plant‑based cellulose structures inspired by natural photonic systems to produce vivid, durable pigments that are biodegradable and toxin‑free, according to the company. The cellulose can be sourced from waste streams, offering potential circularity benefits and lower lifecycle impacts compared with conventional, synthetic colourants.
The company says its pigments deliver longer‑lasting colour intensity and are being trialled in applications from cosmetics and textile dyeing to paints and packaging films. Sparxell has already won awards and non‑dilutive support — more than £256k from Morgan Stanley’s Sustainable Collaborative Prize and the Biomimicry Institute’s 2023 Ray of Hope Award — and reports early product innovation partnerships with car manufacturers, luxury fashion brands and cosmetic goods makers for pilot testing.
Funds raised will be used to expand pilot manufacturing capacity, pursue further product development partnerships and scale up headcount. Sparxell also expects to seek a Series A in the coming months to upscale production and accelerate commercialisation.
Who are the investors?
The seed package combines venture capital, impact investors and grants. Lead and participating investors named include the Circular Innovation Fund (a global VC fund jointly managed by Demeter and Cycle Capital with L’Oréal as an anchor investor), Future Communities Capital, PDS Ventures, Katapult VC, SNØCAP VC, Granatus Ventures and Joyance Partners.
In the announcement, Stéphane Villecroze, Co‑founder and Managing Partner at Circular Innovation Fund, said:
The Circular Innovation Fund has invested in Sparxell because its nature-inspired colourants address a range of concerns including plastic waste, carbon emissions, human rights, and water savings. With colourants being such an important component of cosmetics, we are especially excited to see the application of Sparxell products in this sector.
In the announcement, Jørn Haanæs, Investment Director, Partner – Investment Management, at Katapult, said:
When we came across Sparxell we came to realise just how big the market for pigmentation is and how large the potential impact on the climate could be. The cosmetics industry alone needs to overhaul its environmental credentials and naturally derived pigmentation not only addresses its CO2 footprint but also the chemical pollution for which the industry is notorious.
In the announcement, Yang Chen, Venture Partner at Joyance Partners, said:
With its outstanding leadership and highly novel technology, this company is poised to completely transform the colorant market. Due to the flexibility of the pigments, Sparxell's product has the potential to substantially lessen the immense negative impact across a myriad of historically environmentally devastating industries, and we're thrilled to support them in their endeavour.
In the announcement, Shrina Kurani, GP of SNØCAP VC, said:
Sparxell is an incredibly exciting company for SNØCAP because of the vast market implications behind the technology. Consumers want cleaner alternatives in the products they buy, and Sparxell is able to deliver on this at a platform level, creating a much bigger climate impact.
In the announcement, Rohit Gupta, Managing Director of Future Communities Capital, said:
The colourant industry is a massive market controlled by a handful of players; it is ripe for disruption. Sparxell has the potential to impact some of the world's largest industries, leading a powerful shift towards sustainability without sacrificing performance.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Dr Benjamin Droguet, Sparxell Founder & CEO, said:
Traditional chemical colourants are causing major environmental harm through every stage of their lifecycle, from manufacture to degradation. Over 10,000 fossil-based chemicals are used in current colouration processes. The textile industry is a well-known emitter of dyes and microplastics, with over 1.5 million tonnes entering the environment every year, while paint has recently been recognised as the largest source of microplastics in the ocean.
In the announcement, Dr Benjamin Droguet, Sparxell Founder & CEO, said:
The global movement towards plant-based alternatives has experienced exceptional growth in recent years with a reshaping of entire industries such as meat and dairy. The same opportunity exists within colourants, driven by a common interest of consumers, brands and regulators to transition to fully sustainable, biodegradable, circular products. Most brands are committed to eliminating synthetic chemicals from manufacturing processes altogether. Our plant-based materials can be grown and sourced locally in a complete rethink of how colours are currently being manufactured while reducing transport emissions. The industrial applications for Sparxell’s products are broad, from cosmetics and textiles to paints and packaging.
The bigger picture
The seed round underscores increasing interest from material investors in bio‑inspired alternatives to petrochemical inputs. Regulatory pressure on chemical use, rising corporate sustainability commitments and consumer demand for greener beauty and textiles are creating pull for replacements to traditional colourants. Sparxell’s Cambridge base places it within a UK research ecosystem strong on materials science and applied biotech, which could help bridge lab‑scale innovation to industrial production.
This deal also reflects broader European momentum for circular materials and nature‑inspired design as investors seek technologies that can reduce carbon and pollution footprints across consumer goods and manufacturing supply chains.
They've invested in Sparxell
Get to know these material investors
| Investor | Sector | Stage | Activity | Team | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Future Communities Capital | 3 investments investments | more info | |||
 PDS Ventures | 4 investments investments | more info | |||
 Katapult VC | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 SNØCAP VC | 2 investments investments | more info | |||
 Granatus Ventures | 2 investments investments | more info | |||
 Joyance Partners | 2 investments investments | more info | |||
 The Circular Innovation Fund | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 Demeter | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 Cycle Capital | 1 investment investment | more info |
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