Blue, crafted through indigo DNA and fermentation.
The blue that touches your skin throughout life has been reborn through synthetic biology. For skin health, Blugene is an indigo that never compromises—even on the smallest risks.
Better Blue for Everyday Denim
Brand image · Image included on p.1 of the catalog
These are test results from the supplied catalogue. Not detected means below the method detection limit of 5 mg/kg under the stated test method; it does not mean a content of 0. The 98% figure is biobased carbon content, not indigo purity or an emissions reduction rate.
PRODUCT FORMS
Indigo made by microbial fermentation is supplied as a powder for fabric dyeing and as an ink for digital printing.
Cotton, silk, and cashmere dyeing evaluation data are included in the catalog.
The product names above are the web-facing names of the new brand. In the catalogue and the certificates the original product name is “Bio Indigo Dye Powder (Microbial Fermentation) / CB Bio Indigo Dye Powder”.
A bio indigo ink for digital printing. We are glad to discuss applications and samples with you.
The product names above are the web-facing names of the new brand. In the catalogue and the certificates the original product name is “BioIndigo Digital Printing Ink”.
Particle size, viscosity, shelf life, minimum order quantity, production capacity and pricing are not in the supplied material and are therefore not shown. Please contact us and we will confirm the specifications you need.
A three-row, four-column comparison plate. The rows are chemical indigo powder, bio indigo powder and bio indigo digital printing ink; the columns are 1 to 4 dyeing cycles.
For this example the catalogue records color strength as “digital printing ink > chemical indigo ≈ bio indigo powder”. The shade depth in the photograph has not been converted into K/S values or ΔE color difference measurements, and it does not imply superior performance under all conditions.
Request product informationACROSS BORDERS. ACROSS GENERATIONS.
No matter the country or age, denim is part of our daily life. Because it is worn for years and touches the skin every day, we re-examined every step, from making the color and dyeing to the moment the denim is worn, together with dermatologists, the specialists in skin health. Blugene began with the following three questions.
WHAT REMAINS MATTERS
In the tests presented in the catalog, CutisBio bio indigo, the foundation of Blugene, showed that aniline and N-methylaniline were not detected.
Aniline and N-methylaniline are used as starting materials or intermediates in chemical synthesis routes, and they can remain as unreacted residues in the final indigo powder. A number of certification standards limit the permitted concentration of these substances in textile dyes and in finished products.
Not detected (N.D.) means below the method detection limit under the stated test method. It is not a measured value of 0, and it is not shown as a zero bar in the charts.
The nine commercial samples from catalogue p.5 Figure 2-2 and Table 2-3. The vertical axis is in mg/kg and starts at 0.
Every value in the charts can also be found in the tables below.
| Sample | Indigo type | Aniline (mg/kg) | N-methylaniline (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company S | Chemical | 1,524 | 828 |
| Company M | Chemical | 369 | 225 |
| Company Z | Chemical | 1,229 | 1,127 |
| Company M | Plant | Not detected | Not detected |
| Company XT | Plant | 131 | 85 |
| Company I | Plant | Not detected | Not detected |
| Company XB | Plant | Not detected | Not detected |
| Company H | Plant | 2,652 | 2,375 |
| CutisBio | Bio | Not detected | Not detected |
Not detected (N.D.) means below the method detection limit under the stated test method. It is not a measured value of 0, and it is not shown as a zero bar in the charts.
Company names follow the anonymized labels used in the catalogue. We do not speculate about the actual company names.
Company M appears under both chemical indigo and plant indigo. It is labelled with its type so the two can be told apart.
These values are a comparison of the nine samples included in the catalogue and are not statistics representing the market as a whole. The carbon test and the aniline test differ in institute, method and date, so they have not been combined into a single indicator.
Source · Catalogue p.5 Table 2-3 · Figure 2-2 · Data as of 2026-09-06
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
CutisBio produces indigo by utilizing microorganisms' biosynthetic pathways and fermentation.
Renewable carbon from biomass such as corn is the starting point.
Indigo is made by fermentation that draws on the biosynthetic pathways of microorganisms.
After recovery and purification, it is made into powder and digital printing ink.
It is applied to cotton, silk and cashmere dyeing and to digital printing.
Blugene's journey into denim begins with renewable plant feedstock: the blue DNA of indigo is reborn as dye and ink through synthetic biology and precision fermentation. The resulting Blugene indigo dye holds certifications such as ZDHC MRSL, OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT and USDA BioPreferred, and it is the dye that colors the denim we wear.
FROM RENEWABLE CARBON
An indigo that starts from renewable carbon. From the origin of the feedstock through to compositional analysis, we explain our approach with material you can verify.
98%
This is the share of the carbon in the product that comes from renewable feedstock. It is based on the measured value in catalogue p.3 Table 1-1 (pMC 97.73), and it is not indigo purity or a carbon emissions reduction rate.
Product-level life cycle assessment (LCA), water use, energy and carbon emissions data are not included in this catalogue. Environmental performance figures outside the verified scope are not shown on this site.
See the supporting material
This image is used to illustrate a concept; it is not a photograph of an actual facility, customer or test result. Catalogue p.12
PERFORMANCE
Cotton, silk and cashmere were dyed with plant, chemical and bio indigo and compared. The catalogue records comparable performance in colorfastness to laundering, light, rubbing and perspiration.
This does not mean superiority in every category. Lower grades are also recorded for some colorfastness to rubbing items, and they appear in the tables exactly as recorded.
See the full colorfastness tablesSHADE LIBRARY
Shade depth changes with dye concentration and the number of dyeing cycles. Adjusting the ratio of indigo to indirubin makes it possible to create a shade that belongs to your brand alone.
The catalogue does not give concentration values for the individual swatches, so they are identified by position (A1–B6).
Blugene concentration
Indirubin is the red isomer of indigo. Adjusting the composition of indigo and indirubin produced by microbial fermentation makes it possible to create a blue that is unique to your brand.
These are photographs of the two compositions presented in the catalogue. Mixing ratios in between are not provided, so we do not generate those colors on screen.
Actual color may differ depending on the screen, the fabric and the dyeing conditions. Please confirm with a fabric sample.
The pharmacological activity of indirubin is not covered on this site. We describe it only from the perspective of shade control and product development.
DATA & CERTIFICATIONS
Test results and certificates are gathered in one place. Each item is shown with its testing institute, test method, report number and data as-of date, and the original can be viewed.
We welcome inquiries from denim brands, fabric mills, dye houses, and printing companies.