RAPID CITY, S.D. (Sept. 8, 2025) — A South Dakota Mines professor is turning cutting-edge nanoscience into a skincare breakthrough that could reshape the anti-aging industry.
Tugba Ozdemir, Ph.D., assistant professor of nanoscience and biomedical engineering, has created InovaSkin, a serum designed to harness the body’s own hyaluronic acid (HA) for a more natural and radiant look. Unlike Botox or chemical peels, Ozdemir said the innovation focuses on rejuvenating skin from within.
“It looks flawless, but it doesn’t look natural,” Ozdemir said of traditional treatments. “We anticipate this serum will provide a natural glow and improve the skin’s brightness without looking plastic.”
The formula uses a patent-pending peptide that draws in the body’s own HA and includes silk fibroin—an ingredient long valued in biomedical applications for its strength, elasticity and compatibility with the body’s healing process. Together, the components are expected to boost collagen production, reduce fine lines, and improve skin texture.
Earlier this year, InovaSkin earned first place and $20,000 at the Governor’s Giant Vision Open Business Plan competition. Ozdemir also secured $10,000 in support from South Dakota’s FAST Launch program. The funding allowed her to open lab space at the David Lust Accelerator Building in Rapid City and begin beta testing.
The idea grew out of Ozdemir’s broader research in wound healing, tissue regeneration, and preventing complications with medical implants. Inspiration struck during a trip to Korea, where she saw the potential for adapting her work into consumer skincare.
Back in Rapid City, she connected with Mines’ Entrepreneurs in Residence program and alumni mentors who helped guide the project. InovaSkin is now led by CEO Merle Symes, with plans to expand beyond the flagship InovaSerum to personalized skincare devices and treatments for conditions like acne scars and psoriasis.
“As our product validates itself, we will be hiring Mines graduates and researchers to create new formulations and advance personalized skincare technologies,” Ozdemir said.
For now, her focus remains on proving InovaSerum’s effectiveness through clinical testing and customer studies. If successful, it could redefine how anti-aging products are developed—not in Silicon Valley or Seoul, but in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
