New Zealand’s low-grade wool is finding new life in unexpected places, from air filters and pigments to textiles and now, nail care, thanks to the work from leading scientists at Lincoln Agritech.

The team at Lincoln Agritech is working to transform low-value biological resources into high-value, commercially viable products.

Its latest success story is a collaboration with Dr. Tom Nail Care, a New Zealand-made nail hardener that uses keratin extracted from low-grade wool to help harden and protect nails.

The idea came from Dr. Tom Cawood, a hospital doctor and classical guitarist, who was looking for a natural solution to brittle nails, a common problem for guitarists.

Group Manager for New Materials and Biotechnology at Lincoln Agritech, Dr Rob Kelly, and his team, have spent years deconstructing and rebuilding keratin structures, such as wool and nails, and using that knowledge to create high value applications.

For this project, their innovation was using keratin from wool to create a model nail system that accurately represented real nails but was able to be easily measured and tested.

This custom approach allowed them to measure improvements in nail strength and scientifically validate the product’s performance giving Dr. Tom the data he needed to confidently launch his cosmetic product.

The project is part of Lincoln Agritech’s broader mission to add value to New Zealand’s biological resources, particularly coarse wool, which has seen declining demand in traditional markets like carpets.

“We’re not just doing science for science’s sake,” says Kelly. “We want to see our work make a real-world impact, whether that’s in textiles, cosmetics, or even nail care.”

The nail care product is now on the market, offering a natural, New Zealand-made alternative in a cosmetics industry often dominated by synthetic ingredients.

But for Lincoln Agritech, it’s just one example of how science and engineering can unlock new value from what others see as waste.

“We transform what others see as problems, extracting keratin from wool, turning fish waste into fertiliser, and converting emissions challenges into new revenue opportunities,” says Kelly.

Lincoln Agritech’s wool innovation programme is part of its bio-resources portfolio, which develops sustainable tools and products for the global personal care sector.

Other key wool-based innovations include wool particles for Wool Source Powders and biobased pigments for the print, coatings and cosmetic sectors, and fibre spinning technology that transforms coarse wool into ultra fine, luxurious composite yarns.

As the global demand for sustainable, bio-based products grows, Lincoln Agritech’s wool programme is proving that innovation doesn’t always mean inventing something new, sometimes it means seeing an old material in a completely new way.