Brazilian biotech startup Núcleo Vitro aims to bring in-lab technologies that help simulate the human body for clinical trials, targeting cosmetics and pharmaceutical giants.

Founded in 2019 by scientist and entrepreneur Bibiana Matte, Núcleo Vitro is a Brazilian biotechnology startup that reconstructs human organs in the laboratory to evaluate the safety and efficacy of products designed for human use. The company develops 3D equivalent skin, aged tissues, and in-vitro systems that simulate the human body, allowing cosmetics industries to rapidly and technologically validate the safety and efficacy of their products.

The company capitalizes on the rapidly expanding Personal Hygiene, Perfumery, and Cosmetics (HPPC) market, which exceeds an estimated annual revenue of US$ 37 billion in Brazil alone. The country now accounts for 6% of the global HPPC market, despite having only 2.5% of the global population.

It was exactly within this highly competitive gap that the founder identified a business opportunity, especially in light of recent international regulatory changes, such as the U.S. FDA’s openness to approving new drugs developed with alternative laboratory technologies.

Previously, Brazilian industries had to import bioengineered tissues or outsource testing to European laboratories an expensive and logistically complex process. By nationalizing the technology with its own intellectual property, Núcleo Vitro has reduced the time-to-market for its clients, transforming scientific data into financial efficiency.

“When traditional methodologies began to clash with the need for greater agility in Brazil, it became evident that the country had an infrastructure bottleneck. There was industry demand for innovation, regulatory advancement, and consumer pressure for high-performance products, but there were almost no domestic companies capable of delivering these solutions using proprietary technology,” says Bibiana Matte, founder of Núcleo Vitro.

By stepping into this market void with its proprietary biotechnology, Núcleo Vitro saw its revenue accelerate, registering 60% annual growth between 2024 and 2025.

The startup's business model gained maximum traction by solving a latent pain point for large corporations across the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and veterinary sectors: the need to balance rapid innovation with rigorous scientific substantiation.

About Núcleo Vitro

Núcleo Vitro is a Brazilian biotechnology company specialized in the reconstruction of human organs in the laboratory to evaluate the safety and efficacy of products intended for human use. The company works exclusively with in-vitro methodologies, without the use of animals or human testing, offering innovative solutions for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and veterinary segments.

Officially founded in 2019, the company emerged from the identification of a growing demand for alternative methods to animal testing in Brazil. Today, Núcleo Vitro develops advanced models of skin and intestines, as well as organ-on-a-chip systems, helping companies validate products, accelerate research, and generate strategic scientific evidence for market communication and positioning.

Dr. Bibiana Matte is the founder of Núcleo Vitro. She has over 14 years of experience in research and specializes in cell culture and tissue engineering. She holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and has research experience at the University of Michigan (USA) and the University of California San Diego (USA). She has been developing innovative, exclusive, and patented models at Núcleo Vitro since 2019.