Hoxton Ventures backs human hair toothpaste pioneer in $4M round

Hoxton Ventures is backing a UK startup which hopes to commercialise a protein sourced from human hair or sheep’s wool into a toothpaste to protect against tooth decay. The London-based early-stage VC, which has backed Darktrace and GoCardless, is co-leading a $4m seed round in Eterna Regeneratives, according to well-placed sources. The other co-lead is The Venture Collective.

A spinout from King's College London, Eterna, which was founded in 2024, is building a biomaterials regeneration platform, with an initial focus on enamel and bone repair. It is pioneering a process in which keratin, a protein sourced from human hair or sheep’s wool, can repair damaged tooth enamel.

The startup’s research shows that keratin can generate a thick mineral coating that copies natural enamel when applied to a tooth’s surface and mixed with saliva minerals.

Tooth decay impacts nearly 90 per cent of adults between 20 and 64 and around 46 per cent of children, figures show.

The founders of Eterna believe the process could be formulated into a toothpaste or an applied gel for enamel repair. They say it can better protect against decay than fluoride.

Hussein Kanji, co-founder, Hoxton Ventures, said: "Regrowing teeth and bones. Once again proving that the UK can out-innovate the world!"

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