Surfactants (the molecules that power cleaning, foaming, emulsifying, and conditioning in everyday products) are entering a new era of innovation. Advances in bio-engineering are enabling the design of next-generation surfactants with enhanced performance and reduced environmental impact. By leveraging biologically derived and bio-inspired approaches, researchers and product developers are rethinking how these essential ingredients are produced and formulated. New pathways in fermentation, enzyme engineering, and green chemistry are opening opportunities to create surfactants that are not only more effective, but also better aligned with circularity and nature-positive design principles. This session will explore how bio-engineered surfactants are reshaping formulation science: from new production platforms to novel functional properties, and what it will take to scale these innovations into the next generation of sustainable consumer products.