Knowlton Development Corporation, Inc. (kdc/one) and Potion AI, the beauty & personal care industry’s first and leading AI company, announced a multi-year strategic partnership.

Through this partnership, select kdc/one labs and innovation hubs will gain access to the most sophisticated AI-powered R&D platform in the market. 

Kdc/one selected Potion AI following a competitive review, citing the team’s unique expertise and purpose-built nature of the platform for beauty & personal care. 

Based in Silicon Valley, Potion AI was started by former brand operators and technologists with deep experience across the beauty supply chain who have been working on the application of AI in cosmetic formulation since 2019, with multiple patents granted and pending globally. 

Yahya Syed, Co-Founder and CEO of Potion AI, said, 

“Beauty R&D is still full of brilliance that is trapped in lab notebooks, network drives, and PDFs. kdc/one has one of the largest and most sophisticated global lab networks in the industry, with years of knowledge and expertise built meticulously over time. Together, we are creating a single source of digital truth and equipping teams with intelligent tools to fundamentally transform the R&D process.”

The collaboration is designed to leverage Potion AI’s suite of solutions for various aspects of R&D work, including ingredient discovery, formula generation, integrated regulatory compliance screening, and more.

Craig Onofry, Chief R&D and Innovation Officer at kdc/one, commented,

“We are not looking for a push-button formula generator – we are looking for a force multiplier for our chemists. Potion AI allows us to create space for creativity and true innovation in product development, while helping us maintain compliance in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. The platform helps us bring our innovation history to life in a way that respects our craft and helps our brand partners win faster.”

For kdc/one brand partners, the partnership will help quickly launch market-leading innovation with the full weight of kdc/one’s knowledge and expertise behind them. 

The rollout will begin with selected North American kdc/one labs, with plans to extend to additional sites and regions following the first wave of deployment and validation.