Chitosan (CS), a biopolymer known for its wound-healing properties, has garnered significant interest in biomedical research. This study explores the potential of two Hermetia illucens-derived CS types-unbleached CS and bleached CS-as novel biomaterials for wound-healing applications, in comparison with commercial CS derived from the shells of Pandalus borealis (cold-water shrimp). CS was extracted from pupal exuviae, a byproduct of insect farming, which supports a circular economy by converting waste into valuable molecules for biomedical applications. Unbleached CS exhibited viscosity and viscoelastic properties comparable to those of commercial CS. The critical entanglement concentration (CEC) of unbleached CS (1.15 ± 0.05 % w/v) was similar to that of commercial CS (1.18 ± 0.09 % w/v). Moreover, both Hermetia illucens-derived CS types (unbleached and bleached) demonstrated a greater capability to enhance fibroblast viability (135 ± 7 % and 123 ± 6 %, respectively) compared to commercial CS (115 ± 7 %). Further investigation revealed that unbleached CS exhibited increased antioxidant activity, reversing >
30 % of the loss of viability caused by H