Fort Point just landed a beauty-science heavyweight. MIT-born haircare biotech Living Proof is moving its headquarters into Boston’s Seaport, taking over the entire fifth floor at 12 Farnsworth Street. The company is set to occupy roughly 14,000 square feet of lab and office space in the brick-and-beam building, a shift from its long-running base in the Cambridge innovation corridor to a life-science address across the channel. For regulars wondering about the ground floor, neighborhood staple Flour Bakery is staying put while the labs go upstairs.
As reported by Boston Business Journal via NBC Boston, Living Proof - which grew out of MIT research - has leased the building’s fifth floor for lab-ready space. The coverage describes the tenant as a biotech-backed hair-care company and notes that company officials did not immediately offer a statement about the move.
12 Farnsworth conversion
The property at 12 Farnsworth is being pitched as a life-sciences conversion, with single-floor suites in the roughly 13,000-square-foot range, according to CBRE. The listing highlights mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades designed to hit laboratory standards, along with a "GENESIS" spec program meant to speed tenant move-in. In plain terms, the building is already wired for science, which helps explain why a research-driven beauty brand would opt for a Seaport address instead of more traditional lab clusters.
Market context
Newmark Research's Q4 2025 life-science report flags the Living Proof lease as one of the quarter’s notable transactions and points out that landlords are increasingly weighing conversions as demand shifts. The report notes that vacancy and availability pressures have pushed some owners to reposition conventional office buildings for lab use or other alternatives as the market cools after several years of rapid growth.
From MIT labs to shelf-ready products
Living Proof was founded on technology and patents developed in MIT labs and is closely linked with Institute Professor Robert Langer, according to the Boston Globe. The company has promoted its formulations as rooted in biomedical research and has worked with venture investors tied to the broader MIT ecosystem. Locking down a full floor of labs in Fort Point keeps that R&D work physically close to Boston’s wider life-science infrastructure.
For Fort Point, the deal adds another data point to a growing pattern: owners turning older office buildings into lab-ready suites while preserving active retail at street level. For Living Proof, the move could create room to expand product development, formulation and small-scale testing under one roof, a short walk from the Boston-area talent and services that have helped fuel the region’s life-science scene.
