Sweet Chemistry is back in stock and back in business, and in a big way. The novel skincare brand debuted in its first retailer, Violet Grey, last month. Sweet Chemistry was created by beauty industry veteran Alec Batis. Batis blamed delays in manufacturing on supply chain issues related to tariffs. Now, Batis is expanding Sweet Chemistry’s product line, distribution channels and social media platforms. His journey started with a stint at one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Batis earned a chemistry degree from Western University in 1990 and began working at Pfizer. His first choice was R&D, but when an opportunity arose in QC, Batis accepted the position. Looking back, he realized how important quality control plays in product development and starting his career at Pfizer built a solid foundation of what was to follow. Later, he moved to Paris in pursuit of a job with L’Oréal. When nothing materialized in France, he accepted a position at Redken and returned to the states with a job in L’Oréal’s R&D facility in Clark, NJ. He had careers stops at Victoria’s Secret Beauty, Kiehl’s, Shiseido and Nars, too.

Regenerative Peptide Power

Batis began consulting after his time at the major beauty houses, helping brands achieve success through his expertise in formulation, product positioning, and strategic marketing. During this time, he connected with Dr. John O’Neill, an expert in extracellular matrix technologies and chief scientific officer at Xylyx Bio, a regenerative medicine company developing solutions for tissue and organ repair.

O’Neill and Xylyx Bio discovered regenerative peptides derived from cow bone—later trademarked as Matrikynes and now patent-pending. The raw materials used for Matrikynes Regenerative Bone Peptides are upcycled from the food industry. Matrikynes were initially explored for medical applications, including lung and heart transplants.

Later, the peptides demonstrated remarkable regenerative effects, prompting the team, in partnership with Batis, to explore their application in skincare formulas. Matrikynes are produced at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY.

Dramatic Results

Batis tested the peptides after experiencing scarring from gastrointestinal surgery. Within weeks of using a prototype cream, he experienced dramatic skin repair.

“I couldn’t believe the results,” recalled Batis. “The keloid scars looked significantly better.”

Matrikynes work by reducing inflammation at the wound sites and rebuilding cross-hatched functioning tissue instead of nonfunctioning scar tissue. Convinced of its potential, Batis worked with Xylyx Bio to create a line of skincare products that promote skin regeneration without the need for exfoliation or injury. The result, Batis insists, is a groundbreaking formulation.

An eight-week clinical study in 56 women representing different skin tones, Matrikynes showed a robust clinical safety profile and statistically significant improvements in the structure, function and appearance of damaged and aging skin, including reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Within one hour after injury, topical Matrikynes repaired the skin barrier 12% faster and 61% better than the control. After eight weeks of application (twice daily), Matrikynes increased skin density by 15%, and decreased global lines and wrinkles by more than 4%.

An Early Debut

Sweet Chemistry Labs launched in August 2023 with the Max Repair System (Elasticity Reinforcing Lipid-Cream and Reparative Oil-Serum Infusion), and in 2025 debuted the Hydra Series (Elasticity Reinforcing Hydra-Cream and Barrier Repairing Hydra-Serum), designed to be used individually or together as a modular system of hydration, nourishment, emollience, and activity, responding to your skin’s changing needs, whether from age, climate, geography, time of day, or hormones.

Batis’s patent-pending emulsion technique is rooted in decades of formulation innovation: optimizing active ingredient efficacy, eliminating microbiome-disrupting preservatives, and designing packaging systems that protect product integrity. He insists his formulas rethink traditional emulsion processes, prioritize performance over marketing trends, and are built on a foundation of scientific transparency.

Going Forward…

The entire Sweet Chemistry range is available at Violet Grey. It includes Elasticity Reinforcing Lipid Cream ($148), Reparative Oil-Serum Infusion ($170), Barrier Reparing Hydra Serum ($158) and Elasticity Re-inforcing Hydra-Cream ($148). Violet Grey also carries Sweet Charity’s Lipid-Oil Duo ($286) and Hydra-Hydra Duo ($275).

Batis expects his brand to reach $1 million in sales by year-end and $3 million by the end of 2026. To get there, Batis plans to expand the line. Next up? Cleanser and exfoliator. At the same time, Sweet Chemistry is in talks with more retailers. In the meantime, Batis is putting together an influencer program to spread the word about the power of Sweet Chemistry’s formulas.

For all this confidence about the power of Matrikynes and the efficacy of Sweet Chemistry formulas, Batis still has his self-doubts about investing his savings and launching a brand in the highly competitive skincare category.

“I will be 57 in a couple of months. I sometimes still think, ‘What have I done?’” admitted Batis. “But with all my experience in the industry, I’ve never seen a formula that works like this one. It’s what drives me.”