- Pure retinol stabilization, enhancing stability and absorption through new manufacturing method

Amorepacific received the Jang Young Sil Award for ‘Wrinkle-improving functional cosmetics with pure retinol stabilization technology’. The 5^th week of 2024 ‘IR52 Jang Young Sil Award’ ceremony was held yesterday (11^th) at the Maekyung Media Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Retinol is a highly effective functional ingredient for improving wrinkles, but it rapidly degrades in response to factors such as light, heat, and oxygen. Due to its unstable nature, it is difficult to develop cosmetics with it. Amorepacific's R&I Center has developed a technology to stabilize pure retinol and apply it to products, allowing them to contain an optimized amount of retinol tailored to the skin's condition.

Previously, the common method of stabilizing retinol was to use capsules. However, this method led to reduced efficacy as the retinol was poorly absorbed into the skin due to the capsule membrane, and once retinol started to degrade, there was a problem of accelerated ingredient destruction due to rapid chain reactions. Amorepacific's R&I Center stabilized pure retinol in a grid-like structure similar to egg trays. Through this innovative manufacturing method, they could prevent retinol degradation from external influences and minimize chain reactions. Furthermore, they applied stabilization technology to the retinol product and container manufacturing processes. Cosmetics with retinol manufactured using Amorepacific's proprietary technology showed an increase in absorption rate by more than 127% compared to conventional products, confirming rapid skin improvement effects.

Byung Geun Chae, Research Executive Director of Amorepacific's R&I Center, expressed his gratitude for the award, stating, "Amorepacific launched the first retinol product through the IOPE brand in 1997, and over the past 30 years, we have continued our efforts to introduce better products through constant research and new technology development." He also added that, "We will continue to introduce innovative solutions for delivering health and beauty to customers worldwide, venturing into challenges without fearing failure."

Meanwhile, the 'IR52 Jang Young Sil Award' was established in 1991 to honor the scientific spirit of Jang Young Sil, a representative scientist of the Joseon Dynasty. It aims to foster a culture of science and technology development in Korea and promote technological development. Outstanding new technology products and organizations with excellent technological innovation achievements developed by Korean companies and research institutes are selected and rewarded every week.