Description of Business	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business Codexis, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Delaware in January 2002. The Company develops biocatalysts for the pharmaceutical and fine chemicals markets. Its proven technologies enable scale-up and implementation of biocatalytic solutions to meet customer needs for rapid, cost-effective and sustainable process development, from research to manufacturing. Biocatalysts are enzymes or microbes that initiate and/or accelerate chemical reactions. Manufacturers have historically used naturally occurring biocatalysts to produce many goods used in everyday life. However, inherent limitations in naturally occurring biocatalysts have restricted their commercial use. The Company’s proprietary technology platform is able to overcome many of these limitations, allowing us to evolve and optimize biocatalysts to perform specific and desired chemical reactions at commercial scale. The Company has commercialized its technology and products in the pharmaceuticals market, which is the Company’s primary business focus. The Company’s pharmaceutical customers, which include several of the largest global pharmaceutical companies, use the Company’s technology, products and services in their manufacturing process development, including in the production of some of the world's bestselling and fastest growing drugs. The Company has recently begun to use its technology to develop biocatalysts for use in the fine chemicals market. The fine chemicals market is similar to the Company’s pharmaceutical business and consists of several large market segments, including food, animal feed, polymers, flavors and fragrances and agricultural chemicals. The Company creates its biocatalyst products by applying its CodeEvolver^® directed evolution technology platform, which introduces genetic mutations into microorganisms, giving rise to changes in the enzymes that they produce. Once the Company identifies potentially beneficial mutations, it tests combinations of these mutations until it has created variant enzymes that exhibit marketable performance characteristics superior to competitive products. This process allows the Company to make continuous, efficient improvements to the performance of its enzymes. In these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the “Company” refers to Codexis, Inc. and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

Description of Business

Codexis, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Delaware in January 2002. The Company develops biocatalysts for the pharmaceutical and fine chemicals markets. Its proven technologies enable scale-up and implementation of biocatalytic solutions to meet customer needs for rapid, cost-effective and sustainable process development, from research to manufacturing.

Biocatalysts are enzymes or microbes that initiate and/or accelerate chemical reactions. Manufacturers have historically used naturally occurring biocatalysts to produce many goods used in everyday life. However, inherent limitations in naturally occurring biocatalysts have restricted their commercial use. The Company’s proprietary technology platform is able to overcome many of these limitations, allowing us to evolve and optimize biocatalysts to perform specific and desired chemical reactions at commercial scale.

The Company has commercialized its technology and products in the pharmaceuticals market, which is the Company’s primary business focus. The Company’s pharmaceutical customers, which include several of the largest global pharmaceutical companies, use the Company’s technology, products and services in their manufacturing process development, including in the production of some of the world's bestselling and fastest growing drugs.

The Company has recently begun to use its technology to develop biocatalysts for use in the fine chemicals market. The fine chemicals market is similar to the Company’s pharmaceutical business and consists of several large market segments, including food, animal feed, polymers, flavors and fragrances and agricultural chemicals.

The Company creates its biocatalyst products by applying its CodeEvolver^® directed evolution technology platform, which introduces genetic mutations into microorganisms, giving rise to changes in the enzymes that they produce. Once the Company identifies potentially beneficial mutations, it tests combinations of these mutations until it has created variant enzymes that exhibit marketable performance characteristics superior to competitive products. This process allows the Company to make continuous, efficient improvements to the performance of its enzymes.

In these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the “Company” refers to Codexis, Inc. and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.