Ethical testing firm targeting growth after £150k investment

Dr Carol Treasure and Simon Berry

A company which provides scientific testing services to the cosmetics industry, without the use of animals, has received £150,000 in funding from NPIF-FW Capital Debt Finance.

The funder is managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).

XCellR8 provides entirely animal-free safety and efficacy tests to the cosmetics, personal care and chemical industries and is the only laboratory internationally to have achieved regulatory recognition for animal-free adaptations of regulatory tests that have not only eliminated the use of animals, but animal-derived components, too.

The company was founded in 2008 by Dr Carol Treasure and Bushra Sim and has a clear mission to accelerate the world’s transition to animal-free testing.

This year celebrates the 10th year for the company and sees XCellR8 deliver a 37% year-on-year revenue growth following 40% growth in 2017.

The move to a new state-of-the-art laboratory on the National Science and Innovation Campus, Sci-Tech Daresbury, will triple the company’s lab capacity expanding the research and development facilities while also growing the capacity for work with clients throughout the UK and internationally.

Growth for the company will be further accelerated with the £150,000 injection of funding from NPIF-FW Capital Debt Finance, which has helped fund the move and will bring in new world-class lab equipment and additional work stations.

Dr Treasure said: “The past 10 years has seen myself and Bushra build the company that we dreamed of when we first became colleagues in 1996.

“From an early stage we agreed that animal testing poses not only ethical issues but fundamental scientific ones.

“The world-leading science we have developed within the business matched with our ethics and beliefs has meant that we have been able to grow a company based on our core values but firmly rooted in innovation and advancements in science.

“As we celebrate our 10th year we can also celebrate that animal-free testing now represents the default, rather than the alternative – and we are pleased to have made a positive contribution towards this change.

We couldn’t be prouder of our team and look forward to the next 10 years of growth and development as we strive to become the world leader in animal-free testing.

“The funding from FW Capital has enabled us to increase our laboratory capacity and turn test data around even more quickly for the new clients we’re attracting globally.

“We’ve also increased our R&D space, allowing us to launch new tests and develop more predictive models.”

XCellR8 is the only lab globally to make its tests entirely animal-product free in a regulatory environment.

The company does not use serum, tissues or antibodies extracted from animals.

Already trusted by leading cosmetic and chemical companies around the world, XCellR8 has just completed its 1,000th piece of testing for cosmetics giant Lush.

FW Capital senior investment executive, Simon Berry, said: “XCellR8 is a leader in its field and has built up a customer base which includes many well-known brands.

“Companies do not want their products produced where animal testing has been involved and we, therefore, see significant growth potential for XCellR8.

“This business is a fantastic example of the thriving biomedical sector in the North West. We are very keen to support this industry, which is very important to the region’s economy.”

Sue Barnard, senior manager at British Business Bank, said: “XCellR8 is a company with an admirable cause at the heart of its offering, and this is clearly visible though the industry-wide recognition it has received over the years.

“The firm has achieved consistent levels of revenue growth year-on-year over the past decade, and this is testament to the valuable work produced by the company.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

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