Integrated Human Practices

Overview

As part of our Human Practices work, our team wanted to make sure that our idea (biosensor) can benefit people and solve real world cosmetic issues related to safety. We were focused on the way to prevent the use of harmful substances in cosmetic products like hydroquinone. To achieve our goals, we interviewed a specialist, several ex-member of the IGEM team and set a pool to understand that our idea is relevant to the public ‘s need. These meetings helped us to connect scientific aims with social responsibility. Through these all, we strengthened our project’s ethical and practical base.

Public Engagement

Survey

Purpose

We developed an elaborate public questionnaire to seek opinions on consumer behaviour, concerns and attitudes towards cosmetic products in the attempt to make our project more relevant and useful to the society. The primary aim of this survey was to determine the awareness level of consumers about the components used in their cosmetics, the frequency of adverse outcomes, and the willingness to use a fast method that could help to detect dangerous ingredients in cosmetics such as a biosensor. Additionally, we also wanted to evaluate the extent to which individuals are exposed to counterfeit cosmetics in the market, most of which are reported to contain harmful components. Getting feedback on these issues will be crucial to confirm the necessity of our solution and its relevance to the needs of the consumers.

Design of the Survey

The survey was conducted among the general public, covering all age groups and both genders, to assess people’s cosmetic usage habits, awareness of product ingredients, experiences with adverse reactions, prevalence of counterfeit cosmetics and the methods they currently use to check product safety. We also presented the concept of a portable and convenient biosensor and stated whether a person would be willing to use such a device to ensure that cosmetic products are safe. The responses allow us to better understand public expectations and confirm the relevance and potential impact of our project on cosmetic users.

Key Findings from the Survey

We received 2,856 responses, primarily from young individuals aged 13–18 and adults over 30 with most responses coming from Shymkent, Almaty and Astana. Most of the respondents were females and used cosmetics frequently.

The findings demonstrate an extensive application of cosmetic products in all age groups and the significant interest in the safety of products. Nevertheless, the survey also revealed gaps in consumer awareness about the ingredients they consume, encounters with counterfeit cosmetics, frequent negative reactions and a lack of methods to test product quality.

In response to these findings we aim to design a cheaper, precise biosensor that addresses these concerns. Our mission is to provide a new, quick and accurate technology to identify toxic chemicals in cosmetics to help individuals to make safer buying decisions and achieve greater health.

Fig 1 - Attention to Ingredients in Cosmetics

40.1% of the 2,856 respondents said they always check the ingredient list before using a cosmetic product, while 34% only do so occasionally, and 25.9% admitted they never check the ingredients at all.

This indicates that a significant portion of cosmetic users are either unaware of or unconcerned with what goes into the products they apply to their skin.

Fig 2 - Experiences with Adverse Reactions

Over half of the participants reported experiencing some form of negative skin reaction due to cosmetics: 30.9% had definite reactions such as rashes or allergies, while another 25.3% said it happens occasionally. Only 43.8% claimed to never experience any reaction.

This statistic highlights the importance of safer product choices and awareness. In response, we held a summer camp from July 14 to July 25, during which the participants were taught about cosmetic safety issues: skin microbiome, cosmetics’ effect on skin, SPF protection, biotechnology-based ingredients. It involved interactive lessons in English, Russian, and Kazakh, guest lectures from professionals, creative experience of drawing comics to allow the participants to visualize and reflect on what they learned. Through this initiative, we intended to provide youth with scientific knowledge needed to make thoughtful decisions in regard to cosmetic products and prevent their detrimental side effects.

Fig 3 - Public's Experience with Counterfeit Cosmetics

When asked whether they had ever encountered counterfeit cosmetics, 41.9% of the 2,856 respondents answered yes, 32.8% said no, and 25.3% were not sure.

This shows that a significant portion of the population has either knowingly or unknowingly come into contact with fake cosmetic products, many of which are known to contain harmful, unregulated, or undisclosed ingredients.

Fig 4 - Methods for Checking Cosmetic Quality

When asked how they assess the safety and quality of a cosmetic product, 70.1% of respondents said they read online reviews, while 47.8% rely on recommendations from friends or influencers. 42.9% check the expiration date, and 39.8% examine the ingredient list. Only 8.6% admitted they don't check anything at all.

These results show that most people rely on indirect methods such as social proof or branding when evaluating product safety.

Fig 5 - Interest in a Biosensor

When presented with the idea of a fast, portable biosensor that detects harmful substances in cosmetics, 72.8% of participants expressed interest in using it. Another 20.7% said they had never considered the idea before but found it appealing. Only 6.5% said they would not use such a device.

Conclusion

From all these surveys we could say that less than half of the people who took the surveys check the ingredients and get recommendations from friends about which cosmetics should they purchase. Also, almost most of them want to use a simple and accurate method (biosensor) to check the quality of beauty products. This shows that biosensor is a good option that could be a solution to actual problem about cosmetic quality.

Kindergarten Event

On 21.08.25, our team travelled to Turkestan in order to raise awareness about cosmetic product safety and encourage children to be careful before using cosmetic products. We visited kindergarten(Nur-Bolashaq 2) to engage children through fun activities and introduce them to our goal and idea of biosensors. In addition, we wanted to show them the importance of product quality testing and protecting their skin against diseases.

We chose this city in Kazakhstan since it is one of cities, which develops fast, but has fewer opportunities to engage and participate in some experiments in life. Moreover, teaching children about these basic stuff in safe cosmetics can be beneficial for them to be informed in the future. Last but no least, there is growing concern in the use of cosmetic products among youngsters, therefore, we chose this audience.

First of all, we asked children some usual questions such as “what is cosmetic in their view?” , “Do you use cosmetic products?” and “where do you buy them?” . We did that in order to understand what they think about cosmetics. After that, we started to explain our goal for coming there and to show our product that we want to create. Next, we bring plasticine clay to play a game called “ cosmetic creator” where children needed to build any type of cosmetic products by themself. Then they showed all their “creations” to the audience in order to choose the best one. Afterwards, we played a second game, which is known as puzzle. We wanted to test their logical and critical thinking in imagining some cosmetic products. Finally, there was a discussion time when we talked about what they learnt from us, our games, etc. Also, in that time, we discussed why quality of product matters and how science can help to detect whether that cosmetic product is healthy or not.

Over 20 children took part in our games. We saw that many of them were surprised that before using a cosmetic product it is important to check it, and that many products can have a detrimental effect on their skin. As a result, we understood that these kinds of concepts should be explained through interactive games and fun activities for children. Organizing this event helped us to show the importance of our product for children and also connect our project with younger audiences, and to collect more feedback.

Ziyatker

Over 20 children took part in our games. We saw that many of them were surprised that before using a cosmetic product it is important to check it, and that many products can have a detrimental effect on their skin. As a result, we understood that these kinds of concepts should be explained through interactive games and fun activities for children. Organizing this event helped us to show the importance of our product for children and also connect our project with younger audiences, and to collect more feedback.

Over 20 children took part in our games. We saw that many of them were surprised that before using a cosmetic product it is important to check it, and that many products can have a detrimental effect on their skin. As a result, we understood that these kinds of concepts should be explained through interactive games and fun activities for children. Organizing this event helped us to show the importance of our product for children and also connect our project with younger audiences, and to collect more feedback.

On September 9th 2025 our NIS Kazakhstan iGEM team visited “ Ziyatker” school. The main goal of our visit was to introduce iGEM competition, introduce our project to students, and inspire students to learn more about synthetic biology. This is how our team wanted to enforce communication, collaboration, and learning about science to solve real world problems. Beforehand, our team has contacted the vice principal and shared our idea about presenting our project and iGEM competition in general. By doing so, we wanted to raise awareness about the problem of overusing hydroquinone and educate pupils. The vice principal eagerly accepted our offer, and as a result we held a meeting for 10-11th grade students. In addition, we wanted to encourage students to join the big iGEM family.

We began with introducing our team members and giving a brief overview of what iGEM is. We explained that iGEM is the largest synthetic biology competition for students all over the world. Then, our team presented a thorough overview of our project, including what problem we are focusing on and how we want to solve this problem. Essentially, we focused on the side effects of hydroquinone and the problem of using this component in whitening creams( Common problem in Kazakhstan and Asian, African countries) . Moreover, our team shared some insights about how to collaborate with other iGEM teams and how to enhance the productivity within the team, since we also encouraged students to join the NIS Kazakhstan team next year or create their own team.

The students from the Ziyatker School also participated in discussions and answered our questions about cosmetic products. Our team has prepared a quiz and a “ True False” game regarding our project to ensure that students understood our project's main goal and to view the problem from their perspective. Our quiz consisted of the following questions:

All of the students got all the questions correct which indicates that we have shared our knowledge thoroughly.

In conclusion, our visit to Ziyatker was really insightful. We had an opportunity to talk to the main consumer group of cosmetics, both decorative and hygienic. Our team learned more about the existing problem of using harmful compounds cosmetics in Kazakhstan and the students learned more about how we can prevent this problem.

TEDx Talk

On Wednesday, October 1st in Nazarbayev Intellectual school of Science and Mathematics in Karatau district of Shymkent” , branch of Autonomous Educational organization “Nazarbayev Intellectual schools” our team held a large- scale school TEDX for high school students to highlight the international IGEM project, covering the project's development stages, from team formation to the Grand Jamboree performance by team members. Our main goal is to protect as many young people as possible from the influence of social media and advertising on the purchase of counterfeit and low-quality cosmetics. T o this end, we began our TEDX talk with the history of IGEM, introducing its core principles and the key stages of participation. After detailing each stage, we smoothly transitioned to the main part— covering our past environmental projects from 2022 and 2023 on the decomposition of plastic waste (polyethylene terephthalate) using two enzymes, Petase and Metase, which break down the strong bonds in the plastic structure, converting them into simple monomers.

We then moved on to the main issue of our project—discussing the reasons for using hydroquinone in cosmetics and its negative impact on human health and the environment. We discussed in detail the need for strict controls and bans on the use of hydroquinone as a skin lightening agent, as it causes allergic reactions, irritation, and a condition called ochronosis, which causes dark spots on the skin. The next stage of the presentation was a presentation on our educational book for children, in which we raise the need to educate children about the effects of low-quality products on the body and the need to use cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreens, regardless of age and gender. We thus listed our corporations and other IGEM teams in the creation of the educational book, specifically translating the book into Chinese and Turkish, creating chapters on the importance of reading the ingredients of cosmetic products, and a chapter on allergies.

We also shared our Y ouT ube channel to reach an audience and educate students about biosensors, AP courses, and the principles of perfumery. Our main goal is to make science accessible and engaging for everyone. We mentioned our presentations to high school students at Ziyatker School and the invitation to join our team next year. We also held an educational event at the library for visually impaired children, where we explained in detail our goal of creating a book and providing them with a way to differentiate products using Braille. We also emphasized that we had facilitated entertaining debates among students to exchange opinions on the benefits and harms of hydroquinone.

T oward the end of our presentation, we moved on to the lab section, where we detailed the process of creating a biosensor, working with enzymes and microorganisms, and meetings with sponsors of cosmetics for the visually impaired. Finally, we followed up our presentation with a summer camp and the creation of a comic book with the camp participants.

The main goal of holding such a large-scale educational event was to highlight the negative effects of hydroquinone, which is used in cosmetics as a skin whitener but nevertheless suppresses melanin production, causing the appearance of dark spots (ochronosis).

We also highlighted the problem of teenagers, who are often influenced by advertising, advice from popular bloggers, and bargain prices, buying cosmetics without considering their ingredients and properties. We also raised awareness among participants about the IGEM project and invited them to join the team in future years.

T oward the end of the event, to reinforce their knowledge, we held a mini quiz and presented the winner with sweets. Finally, we gave the audience the opportunity to ask questions about participating in the project, its main stages, and the biosensor we are creating.

Model United Nations: "The Role of Biotechnology in Controlling Toxic Substances in Everyday Products"

Overview

Our team organized a Model United Nations session within the UNESCO Science and Technology Committee. The topic: "The Role of Biotechnology in Controlling Toxic Substances in Everyday Products" directly related to our iGEM project on detecting phthalates in cosmetics.

Objectives

• Raise awareness about the risks of phthalates and other toxic chemicals.
• Discuss how biotechnology can improve product safety.
• Engage youth and policymakers in dialogue about synthetic biology and ethics.
• Promote iGEM as a platform supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Discussion Highlights

• Addressed global phthalate pollution and lack of affordable detection tools.
• Showcased our biotechnological sensor as a practical, low-cost solution.
• Emphasized the need for international cooperation in chemical safety.
• Discussed ethical use and public understanding of biotechnology.

Impact

• Increased awareness of our iGEM project and its real-world relevance.
• Promoted science diplomacy by connecting biotechnology and global policy.
• Encouraged inclusion of youth-led innovation in future UNESCO resolutions.

SDGs Addressed

Outcomes

Draft resolution calling for:

• Support of biotech-based toxin detection research
• Global databases for phthalate monitoring
• Eco-labeling of phthalate-free cosmetics
• Inclusion of iGEM-like youth initiatives in UNESCO programs

Conclusion

The MUN demonstrated how synthetic biology contributes to international sustainability efforts, increased visibility of our project, and connected iGEM's mission with global policy action.

Expert Engagement

Interview with Zhandos

Original video: Watch on Instagram

Our team interviewed Zhandos, a member of the iGEM 2023 team where he was the social media team leader. In the interview, we asked questions about his performance, his contribution as a team member and tips to win in this kind of large-scale competitions. The full interview is available here, but we prepared an overview.

What challenges did Zhandos face during his participation in iGEM?

What do you think helped you to win a gold medal?

Conclusion

“Be a real team and never give up”

All this shows him as a good team leader and responsible person and also someone who does his ownfort work perfectly. In addition, these all show that IGEM is not just a competition connected with synthetic biology, but it is also about creating a family with people you do not know and passing a long journey together by dealing with upcoming issues together.

Interview with Kanat Baimuminov

Original video: Watch on Instagram

Our team took an interview with an ex-member of iGEM team 2024, and he was one of the leaders and also was responsible for their YouTube channel. In the interview we asked some basic questions about what he did for his team, contributions and also tips to win in these large-scale competitions.

What were the main challenges during preparation?

In the interview, we asked what were the challenges during the preparation, and he said that their team had many problems with finding a laboratory, because they sent many messages to universities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, but in the last moment, their offer got accepted by Al-Farabi University to start their experiments and develop their idea. However, it was not only the hardest issue, the other one was connected to finding a ferment called restriction enzymes.

What were his main contributions to the team?

Talking about his contributions, as mentioned before, he was a leader in the team, so he managed to write reports for all actions and events that his team did. What is more, he handled some mini problems and could manage the YouTube channel to popularize their idea and explain specific scientific issues for people who lived in rural areas and also for their main audience.

What advice would you give to future teams?

Despite the challenges, his main advice was to not skip deadlines and have a strong discipline since it is important for a team to work consistently without hesitation. And last but not least, iGEM is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

Interview with Dariga, Aneli, and Bibinur

Original video: Watch on Instagram

We interviewed three alumni from previous iGEM teams who shared their experiences, challenges, and valuable advice for future participants. Dariga and Bibinur participated in iGEM twice—Dariga as a leader both times and Bibinur first as a lab member and then as a leader. Aneli participated once as a lab member.

Where and when did you hear about iGEM?

Dariga heard about iGEM from friends who studied under Miss Symbat, a person who was their adviser. She told them about iGEM and Dariga's friends tried to join with Dariga, but she declined their offer. Only after a few years, she decided to join with Bibinur and other members.

What was your impact in getting the gold medal?

First of all, the promotion video was one of their nominations. The main question was what should the promotion video do—they decided that the video needed to hook the audience's attention. To reach this, they sought interesting ideas from advertisements. One of them was an old video about soda, and this inspired them to write about bottles that decompose in 500 years. Also, the idea of Pac-Man-like bacteria that decomposes plastic came out from their interest in video games.

What new skills or knowledge did you learn from iGEM?

Dariga said that she learned how to work in a team with other 7 members and how to do multiple tasks at the same time. Aneli said that she learned how to quickly understand something new—for example, editing videos was something new that she had never tried before.

What impression was left from iGEM after all?

iGEM was at first like something annoying and stressful, but after a couple of years it seems like some really delightful part of life. In university they also have iGEM competition for university students, however it never could be something like iGEM in school times. This is one of the most beautiful times in their life.

What kind of tips can you tell to future members?

• Teamwork is essential: Really try to work together—teamwork is the most important thing in this kind of competition.
• Stay calm under pressure: Do not panic and be able to solve any problem in a short time.
• Meet deadlines: Never fail your deadlines. This is really important.

Interview with Vladimir Khan

Introduction

Our IGEM team met with dermatologist Vladimir Khan. 31.07.25 we interviewed him. Our purpose was to get the opinion of expert about our idea related to biosensors in cosmetics.

How widespread is the problem with fake cosmetics?

Vlad said that fake cosmetics may not be a noticeable problem, but its influence on the peoples' skin is very high.

What are the consequences of using fake cosmetics?

The main problem is the acne that appears on the face, since ingredients that are used in this type of cosmetics could be dangerous or someone could be allergic to one of them.

In your opinion, how can people avoid this type of problem?

If we talk about technology that can help to identify all ingredients in cosmetics, these will be big machines that will cost an arm and leg.

In your opinion, the idea about biosensors for our IGEM team is great?

In my perspective, this would be a really helpful and cheap way to deal with these kinds of problems, however I suggest finding a way to spread these products, since many of these kinds of ideas fail, when they need sponsors and to convince, they should show the profit of this product.

Conclusion

Dermatologist Vladimir Khan really helped us to think about not only how to help people, but how to realise our idea in real life, so part of our team fully focused on the idea to find profits of our project and convince sponsors.

Project Evolution

As part of our iGEM journey,we conducted several interviews with ex-members of IGEM 2023-2024 in order to gather some valuable insights and suggestions to perform at an advanced level. We could get three interviews with ex-members of iGEM and one with a dermatologist who has a deep knowledge in skincare and cosmetic safety. These meetings were essential in shaping our understanding of project management, organization, and scientific responsibility.

During the interview with the dermatologist, we shared our idea about our biosensor concept for detecting harmful substances in cosmetic products. The specialist agreed that our idea was relevant and valuable since it is helpful for choosing safe cosmetic products and ensuring that a consumer is aware of all harmful effects of those products. In addition, in the interview, he emphasized maintaining scientific accuracy, using accurate data, and ensuring that our biosensor can be applied practically in real-life experience. This advice encouraged us to improve and strengthen the scientific foundation of our project and ensure our design meets relevant and professional standards.

Our meetings with six ex-members of the iGEM 2024 team, including Kanat, who had won a gold medal, gave us important suggestions about supportive teamwork and preparation for deadlines of competition. They advised us to stay organized and disciplined, stick to deadlines, and maintain a good connection with the team. Kanat especially said that supporting each other and building positive team bonds is more important than competing individually. These interviews helped us improve our internal coordination and time management, also to take relevant feedback.

Because of these interviews, our team developed and applied key skills such as organization, scientific accuracy, planning project tasks, and adaptability. We learned to combine expert feedback with our own creativity, ensuring that our biosensor project is both scientifically sound and socially beneficial.