[Courtesy of Cosmax]
SEOUL -- Cosmax, a cosmetics original development manufacturer in South Korea, has developed a bio-nano emulsion that can make pure natural cosmetics, using a new microorganism found in the skin of young women instead of chemical surfactants. It would open the era of cosmetics manufacturing only with natural processes and ingredients.
Emulsifiers are an indispensable ingredient in cosmetics production. Surfactants are mainly used in chemical emulsifiers that make emulsions in which water-soluble and fat-soluble raw materials are well mixed. Cosmax has developed a microbial emulsification system that can make cosmetics without using chemical surfactants.
Since microorganisms beneficial to the human body are used, Cosmax said that its microbial emulsification system could improve the absorption of cosmetics and have skin improvement effects.
Chemical emulsifiers were replaced with a skin microorganism called Epidermidibacterium Keratini (EPI-7) which produces a large amount of fatty acids and lipids essential for the skin. EPI-7 has been confirmed to grow at a temperature similar to that of humans. Cosmax is using EPI-7 for the development of various products such as mask packs, essence, and tone-up cream.
After confirming that EPI-7 strains break down neutral fat to create various functional lipids, Cosmax has launched a joint study with United Active, a domestic developer of cosmetics materials based on fermentation technology, to develop bio-nano emulsion production technology.
"The natural emulsification system will change the cosmetics manufacturing paradigm that is transformed into a new eco-friendly bio industry," Cosmax CEO Lee Byung-man said in a statement on August 22. He said his company would introduce natural bio-cosmetics at the end of 2022.
Cosmax has studied natural products and microbiomes. In 2019, the company developed an anti-aging cosmetics material called "Strain CX" using microbiome, the genetic material of all the microbes that live on and inside the human body. Strain CX is a composite of microbes with anti-aging characteristics found in young women's skin.
In the cosmetics industry, the microbiome specifically refers to a group of microbes known to improve the conditions of internal organs and skin. It has received attention as a material for next-generation skincare cosmetics. For sun care cosmetics, Cosmax has applied a bio-microbial material named "Solarbiome" based on a set of strains found in a NASA project to study the effect and response of space light. Solarbiome helps to restore aging skin from sunburn and is very effective in ultraviolet protection.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
