Codex Beauty is a bioscience-led beauty company that is setting a new standard in organic luxury skincare. Founded in Silicon Valley, California, Codex Beauty is led by a global team of scientists, technologists, botanists, cosmetic chemists, dermatologists, and genuine problem solvers who believe in utilizing science to harness the power of nature in its purest, most potent forms.
At the core of Codex Beauty is founder Barbara Paldus, who is a dynamic entrepreneur who earned her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Following that, Paldus spent the next two decades at the forefront of research and innovation at spectroscopy and biotechnology companies and eventually co-founded two Silicon Valley companies that, among many breakthroughs, helped bring intelligent sensors and state-of-the-art control software to the market, paving the way for carbon cycle trading, food integrity testing, accessible vaccines, personalized medicine and cell therapy.
Now, Paldus, who has been awarded more than 30 U.S. patents and numerous honors for her achievements in optics and life sciences, is applying her knowledge to the botanical beauty space. Naturally curious, Paldus learned that many go-to practices in the beauty industry do not yield the most effective results. “I realized that natural ingredients hold so much more potential, but the extraction techniques, stabilizing methods and delivery systems are not on the same level with what we have in the biotechnology or food industry community here and around the world,” she explained. “I realized that natural ingredients hold so much more potential, but the extraction techniques, stabilizing methods and delivery systems are not on the same level with what we have in the biotechnology or food industry community here and around the world.”
Inspired to create, Paldus traveled to places near and far—from Ireland to Chile to Iceland—and found a handful of under-the-radar beauty brands, all led by experts intensely dedicated to exceptionally pure, sustainable techniques, but largely unknown to the rest the world.
“I knew that if we combined their on-the-ground knowledge with the latest technology we could take these beautiful lines to the next level of efficacy together,” said Paldus.
The result of her travels and research is Codex Beauty: a collective of global brands built on science, organic and vegan ingredients, plant-based preservatives, pharmaceutical-grade processes, safety and efficacy trials, innovative and sustainable packaging, and third party certification. All products are submitted to the kind of rigorous testing found in biotechnology and a strict adherence to good manufacturing practices (GMP).
“We are dedicated to telling you exactly why our products were created and how they will impact your skin and health,” explains Paldus. “To that end, nothing at Codex Beauty is ever ‘good enough.’ We are always searching for the next discovery or technical breakthrough. We will never stop innovating, refining and improving. That is engrained in our DNA,” she said.
The name Codex draws inspiration from the ancient bound manuscripts that forever changed how knowledge was shared. In the first century AD, the “Codex” replaced the scroll. These early versions of the modern book—many of which detailed the latest medical and scientific advances—became the new universal standard. Codex looks to do the same for beauty. According to Codex, information is the new luxury when it comes to skincare and the brand thinks that now is the time to take clean beauty to the next level, “Our core mission is customer transparency and education. This is just the beginning,” says Paldus.
The beauty brand is dedicated to only using plant preservatives, quantifiable scientific data, and open-source transparency. Green in their approach, Codex utilizes exceptionally pure formulations that are organic, vegan and non-toxic, with only plant-based preservatives. Moreover, the products are contained in bio-plastic airless and recyclable glass containers that minimize Codex’s carbon footprint and reduce pollution in the context of the brand’s production systems.
Striving to maintain transparency in their approach to everything from their products and environmental footprint to business, Codex believes that information should be shared with their customer which is why they publish clinical test data, apply for third party purity certification and put their formulas through quality testing multiple times to ensure every batch hits their high standards.
