ICHIMARU PHARCOS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Motosu City, Gifu Prefecture; President: Yoshihiko Ando) is delighted to announce that our revolutionary Proteoglycan IPC, a natural active ingredient for anti-aging, has been honored BSB Innovation Award 2025 in the section of skin repair, collagen density, and skin longevity under the category of Environment / Raw Materials “Active”.
Category 5: Environment,
Sub-category: a) Raw Materials XIII - Actives,
Section: skin repair, collagen density, skin longevity
Proteoglycan IPC, ICHIMARU PHARCOS, JAPAN
The BSB Innovation Awards aim to promote the global dissemination of up-to-date knowledge, and the selection of awardees is conducted through an objective, fair, and independent process. The announcements for the categories of Environment and Applied Concepts / ideas were made online in September 2025.
We are deeply grateful for this recognition and will take it as inspiration to continue developing innovative and upcycled natural cosmetic ingredients as one of the leading manufacturers in the field.
Proteoglycan IPC
Proteoglycans are glycoproteins in which glycosaminoglycans—sugar chains such as chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate—are covalently bound to a core protein. They are major components of the extracellular matrix and are widely distributed throughout body tissues such as skin and cartilage, where they help retain moisture and maintain elasticity.
A joint research project between Hirosaki University and Kakuhiro Co., Ltd. successfully established a technology to isolate high-purity, large-quantity proteoglycan from salmon nasal cartilage. This proteoglycan has been commercialized by ICHIMARU PHARCOS as the cosmetic ingredient “Proteoglycan IPC (INCI: Soluble Proteoglycan).”
Salmon heads, including nasal cartilage, are typically discarded during seafood manufacturing. Proteoglycan IPC is an eco-friendly, upcycled material that enables the effective use of natural resources.
Picture: Online award ceremony, September 2025 – Dr. Riedel, Founder of BSB
BSB Innovation Award® 2025
https://www.bsbinnovationaward.de
“Proteoglycan IPC” Product Page
https://www.ichimaru.co.jp/english/research/featured/174
