CIA invests in Skincential Sciences

The US Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital arm In-Q-Tel has invested in cosmetics company Skincential Sciences.

Skincential Sciences manufactures beauty product range Clearista, and has developed a patented technology that removes the skin’s thin outer layer.

The technology is said to expose exclusive biomarkers that could help during diagnostic tests and DNA collection.

The noninvasive and painless procedure is said to require only water, a kind of detergent as well as a brushing technique against the skin.

The technology that results in glowing and young skin requires collecting a person’s biochemistry information and this aspect has led to In-Q-Tel showing an interest in the company, reports Science World Report.

Skincential Sciences chief executive Russ Lebovitz said: "Our company is an outlier for In-Q-Tel.

"I can’t tell you how everyone works with In-Q-Tel, but they are very interested in doing things that are pure science."

Russ also stated that the biomarker extraction technology could be used by the CIA to identify DNA from normal skin, helping law enforcement agencies to perform drug tests or for crime scene identification.

In-Q-Tel provides funds to tech firms to develop new technology and solutions as well as focuses on creating complex biological technologies and genetic analysis.

The non-profit organisation expects to bridge the gap between the technology needs of the US intelligence community (IC) and new commercial innovation, reports International Business Times.