Selected by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy as “world’s best technology” AMOREPACIFIC’s new material cosmetic of UV ray-blocking colloid composite was selected as the “world’s best technology” among the 10 leading technologies of Korea, which is another big achievement after the company was awarded the “Jang Yong Sil Award” in April 2004, being the only chemical firm to be selected. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy selected five world’s best technologies and the next five most advanced technologies developed in 2004 with high technological and economic ripple effects to comprise the 10 new technologies of Korea, which was announced on January 20th, 2004. For “the world’s first technology”, a 5-Color Ultra-Slim DLP TV of Samsung Electronics and the FINEX steel cutting technology of POSCO were selected. For the “world’s best technology”, a soft method hybrid electric automobile of Hyundai Motors and others, together with AMOREPACIFIC, were selected and awarded the concerned certificates by the ministry. The UV protection colloid composite new material cosmetic of AMOREPACIFIC is an innovative technology which has been in development by the AMOREPACIFIC Technology Center since 2000 for three years with 1 billion won invested. This technology resolves the problem of existing inorganic UV protection like flocculation coking, phase separation and others and drastically reduces the side effects on skin from organic OV protection, and also increases the UV blocking effect. All such improvements resulted in the world’s best UV protection cosmetics. Currently this technology is being applied to UV protection ‘Sulwhasoo whitening cream’ and other UV protection creams produced by AMOREPACIFIC. The new material for UV blocking technology has attracted strong interest in the industry. Although this technology was used in the cosmetics industry first, it can also be applied to other chemical areas like light blocking agents and turbiditing agents since the resulted colloid type inorganic/polymer nano composite has high light dispersion and diffusibility with regard to organic composition. Major chemical firms are inquiring for technology transfers for wider applications of the technology to areas like coating, detergents and storing agents. Such wider applications can be the opportunities to show the nation’s technological prowess to the world and are expected to bring considerable economic benefits. Lee, Ok-Seop, the Vice President and Director of the Technology Research Center at AMOREPACIFIC said, “In the increasingly competitive international market, selection as the best technology is very encouraging for the domestic cosmetics industry in terms of its enhanced competitiveness. It is a good example to demonstrate that the cosmetics industry can develop advanced technologies with high potentials for technological ripple effects”.