THE STORY

Denim is worn every day. So the dye must be checked with care.

Through a living fermentation process, we have rewritten the way indigo dye is made. Denim crosses ethnicities and borders and stays with us for a lifetime. That is why we do not compromise, even on the smallest impurity within it. We remake indigo with skin and the environment in mind. That is Blugene.

Blugene

The meaning in the name

The name joins Blue, for the blue of indigo, with gene, the basis of living things. It carries the idea of creating the long-loved indigo blue anew through advanced technology: synthetic biology and precision fermentation.

Our relationship with CutisBio

Blugene is the indigo business brand of CutisBio Co., Ltd. The corporate name and the wording used on certificates and test reports remain CutisBio.

CutisBio Co., Ltd. · Bio Indigo Dye Powder (Microbial Fermentation) · CAS 482-89-3

ACROSS BORDERS. ACROSS GENERATIONS.

Because it touches our skin for a lifetime, a dermatologist checks its safety.

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.

  1. Is it made from a plant-derived carbon source
  2. Do harmful substances remain
  3. Can its safety for the skin be verified
Hear the answers
Choi Wonwoo, M.D., Ph.D., board-certified dermatologist, smiling in a white coat
Blugene director: CHOI WONWOO M.D., Ph.D., Board Certified Dermatologist

Blugene Skin Safety First Program

Skin safety of fabrics dyed with Blugene indigo, confirmed together through third-party testing.

We can partner with denim and jeans brands to arrange third-party testing of artificial-sweat extracts from fabrics dyed with Blugene indigo, including single-application and cumulative skin irritation studies. We can provide participating brands with laboratory reports and fabric-specific test summaries to support clear, evidence-based product communication.

Results apply to the tested fabric extracts and study conditions.

Blugene Dermatologically Tested · Denim Fabric Extract badge

What we promise

CutisBio proves our promises with data and official certifications.

  1. 01

    We make transparent the process of producing it by fermentation from a plant-derived carbon source

    We start from renewable carbon. Biobased carbon content is published as a test result.

  2. 02

    For the sake of skin health, we do not compromise on even trace harmful substances

    Denim sits against the skin all day. We analyze aniline and N-methylaniline, impurities that can remain in synthetic indigo, by accredited test methods and publish the results together with the detection limit.

  3. 03

    We prove environmental friendliness and sustainability with official certifications

    Test report numbers, certificate numbers and original certificate images can be checked directly on this site.

Data & Certifications
Inquire about samples and technical documents

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Four goals we work towards

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that CutisBio's production and commercialisation of bio indigo touch most directly.

  1. Official United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 icon

    SDG 3 · Good Health and Well-being

    3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

    CutisBio treats reducing the harmful chemicals left in a dye as a contribution to health. Aniline and N-methylaniline, which can remain in synthetic indigo, are absorbed through the skin, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies aniline as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). In recognised testing our bio indigo showed both substances not detected (detection limit 5 mg/kg), and it holds OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification, which examines textile chemicals against human-ecological and environmental criteria. The direction is less exposure for dyehouse workers and for the people who wear the clothes.

  2. Official United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 icon

    SDG 6 · Clean Water and Sanitation

    6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

    We aim to contribute to reducing the hazardous chemicals that leave dyeing processes in wastewater. Aniline, an impurity of synthetic indigo, is reported to be released into wastewater during indigo production and dyeing. Our bio indigo showed both substances not detected, and it holds ZDHC MRSL Level 1 certification under the Manufacturing Restricted Substances List of the ZDHC programme, whose goal is to eliminate the discharge of hazardous chemicals from textile supply chains.

  3. Official United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 icon

    SDG 9 · Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.

    CutisBio rewrites how indigo dye is made, using the biotechnology process of microbial precision fermentation. Instead of petroleum-derived feedstock it uses carbon from renewable biomass (98% bio-based carbon content, ASTM D6866-24a) and supplies this indigo to the denim industry, contributing to the transition of the dyeing industry.

  4. Official United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 icon

    SDG 12 · Responsible Consumption and Production

    12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

    CutisBio makes the sound management of chemicals the starting point of product design. The harmful impurities left in synthetic indigo, aniline and N-methylaniline, are checked by a recognised test method and kept at not detected (detection limit 5 mg/kg), and ZDHC MRSL Level 1 and OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification hold us to recognised hazardous-chemical standards. Test results and original certificates are published on the Data & Certifications page.

The target wording is quoted from the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015). Showing these goals expresses our support and direction of contribution; it does not imply UN sponsorship or endorsement.

Environmental figures such as water use, energy and greenhouse-gas emissions are not stated on this page because we have no measured data, and goals such as Climate Action (SDG 13) are not shown until the data is confirmed.

The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.