The Cambridge, England-based firm is building its platform on a large dataset linking ingredients to measurable changes in human biology, with a focus on skin microbiome and host biomarkers. For nutrition and dietary supplement industry stakeholders, the approach points to a change in how efficacy is identified, tested and ultimately positioned in finished products.
From iteration to prediction in ingredient development
At the center of Sequential’s model is a dataset that links specific ingredients to human biological responses, rather than relying on isolated or indirect measures.
“Because we’ve built a dataset that directly links ingredients to changes in microbial and host biomarkers in humans, we can start to model how specific inputs will shift biological systems,” Dr. Oliver Worsley, co-founder of Sequential, told NutraIngredients. “In practical terms, that may be identifying ingredient combinations, predicting which actives are most likely to modulate inflammatory pathways or specific microbial pathways, and prioritizing candidates before clinical testing.”
That shift, he explained, is intended to reduce dependence on conventional formulation cycles.
“Historically, this has been a very iterative, trial-and-error process,” he added. “We’re trying to make it more computationally driven and hypothesis-led.”
Multi-omic data reshapes claims and differentiation
The company’s use of comprehensive multi-omic datasets coupled with non-invasive clinical data can also alleviate the mounting pressure on brands to validate claims with more precise biological evidence.
“The main shift is from single readouts to a much more integrated view of biology,” Worsley said. “Instead of saying a product ‘improves skin’, you can start to show how it’s affecting host and microbial biomarkers which are aligned with our biology.”
For stakeholders, that level of detail can support more defensible positioning in a tightening claims environment, creating “a much stronger foundation for claims, which we know is important for differentiation, particularly as scrutiny around claims continues to increase across both topical and ingestible categories,” he added.
Designing ingredient systems rather than single actives
Beyond individual ingredients, Sequential is focusing on how combinations can be designed to target specific biological targets.
“What we mean by that is moving away from tweaking single ingredients and instead designing combinations against a defined biological objective,” Worsley said. “The process starts with identifying a target signature through our multi-omic data and then using data to select combinations of ingredients that are predicted to shift that system in a specific way.”
Those combinations are then taken forward into clinical validation, with possible implications for how suppliers structure their pipelines.
“Instead of developing single actives and then finding use cases, you’re designing a system with multiple prongs and increasing the chance of delivering clinical benefit,” he explained.
Skin as a window into systemic health
While the company’s current work is grounded in dermatology, Worsley noted increasing overlap with ingestible and nutraceutical strategies, particularly in inflammation, as “many of the pathways we’re measuring on the skin, particularly those linked to immune response, are influenced by systemic factors, including diet and supplementation,” he said.
That connection opens the door to linking oral interventions with measurable skin outcomes, which is “where multi-omic data becomes particularly valuable, where we can map external outcomes based on internal inputs,” he added.
Partnerships and following steps
The latest funding round, co-led by Sparkfood and Corundum Systems Biology, is expected to support further development of the platform. According to Worsley, all companies are well-aligned and their partnership will “accelerate our commercial pipeline of products and services, in the lead up to our Series A fundraising round.”
More broadly, the company sees its work as part of a wider shift toward greater data-driven product development across personal care and adjacent health categories.
“A big part of what we’re trying to do is raise the standard of evidence in this space,” Worsley said. “There’s a clear shift happening towards more biologically grounded product development, and we think large-scale, real-world clinical data will play a central role in that.”
