Camellia is right at the core of Amorepacific and is the key anti-aging ingredient used by Mamonde. Between 2013 and 2014, Mamonde went into the study of camellia based on the scientific classification of the species and their compounds. Camellia blossoms have great anti-oxidation, which means that they do not wither for some time after having fallen to the ground as a whole, not as showery petals. Mamonde discovered an anti-aging effect of the polyphenol extracted from the red camellia blossom and leaf, which contain such high anti-oxidation properties, and used it to make anti-aging products.

In 2015, Mamonde embarked on a new project to find wild camellia growing by the northern boundary of South Korea whereas camellia, in general, grows in warm climate areas. Through the exploration of 19 islands, Mamonde eventually found some wild camellia growing on the edge of a southern cliff in Soyeonpyeongdo ("Small Yeonpyeong Island").

However, as there are less than 10 camellia trees left in Soyeonpyeongdo, Mamonde has to study how to restore the natural environment and multiply the number of trees in order to obtain the ingredients. In this March, Mamonde took about 2,000 slips for seedlings, 500 of which took successfully. I am looking forward to the day when the young seedlings can grow well in the cold, sharing the beauty of camellia to customers all around the world.

In Korea, August 8 is the Day of Hibiscus (Korean:Mugungwha). This particular date was chosen as the number 8 on its side resembles the infinity sign (∞), i.e.,Mugung in Korean. As its name suggests, the hibiscus tree releases anywhere from at least 2,000 blossoms up to 5,000 blossoms for a period of 100 days. Inspired by this remarkable display of life and energy, Mamonde uses hibiscus as a key ingredient in its moisturizing products.

It has been known since ancient times that each part of the hibiscus tree offers different medicinal effects. Based on this, Mamonde studied how the hibiscus tree supplies enough moisture to produce such an amazing amount of flowers. Through this analysis, Mamonde found the key moisturizing compound which is now patent pending.

At the same time, Mamonde selected another 12 new species from the total 244 different hibiscus species eventually narrowing the list down to one final winner that demonstrated superior moisturizing effects and is now known as Mamonde hibiscus. Mamonde now works to increase the number of this tree up to 2,500. Once they grow to their full height, Mamonde will be able to provide an endless amount of moisturizing benefits to the customers.

We can often find the white magnolia blossom (scientific name : magnolia denudata) in spring. I once thought that all magnolia species are white in color and bloom in spring, but there are hundreds of different kinds with different colors, shapes, sizes and flowering times; some species even bloom in autumn.

It is quite amazing! The diversity of these plants goes well beyond our imagination! Among all the different species, Mamonde uses Magnolia Biondii, the first of the magnolias to bloom. It comes into bloom after the spring rains.

This particular magnolia has more magnolin than other species, providing a better skin brightening effect. In general, the composition of the flowers changes throughout the course of blooming with magnolin being the highest when the magnolia is in bud. Mamonde uses only this bud to develop its skin brightening ingredients.

Peony is an herbaceous plant native to East Asia and has been much loved in China, Korea and Japan for over 1,200 years. Amorepacific began its study of the peony in 1990 and has since applied for almost 20 patents. The key anti-aging compound in peony is called paeoniflorin, mostly contained in the root. Interestingly, this content drops by over 40% in July after the flowering month, June.

As a result of acquiring this knowledge, Mamonde accordingly concluded that it is best to harvest the peony root before its flowering time, and that the red peony has more available aspects based on comparisons of the red, and white peony flower; at the moment, Mamonde uses only the red peony. In addition, the Korean traditional processing method called Cheongcho is used to boost the level of any available components as the root of the peony is dried. The study of this plant has revealed that its main component is effective in preventing the aging of pores. (This is done by suppressing production of the collagen decomposing enzyme MMP-1 and sebum.) Using this knowledge, Mamonde developed and released a new young anti-aging product in China in September 2016.

Mamonde uses honeysuckle harvested on Jindo Island (Chinese: 珍島, meaning "treasure island"). The flower is just like treasure (Chinese: 金銀) found on the Treasure Island. Honeysuckle is called Geumeunhwa in Korean because it is double tongued, opening white and fading yellow; it is white at first but turns yellow to drive insects away. Mamonde uses two ingredients from honeysuckle. The first is flower vinegar obtained through the Korean traditional fermentation process, and the second is the newly discovered lactobacillus named lactobacillus sucklensis.

It is quite amazing how good for the skin this flower, and its newly discovered ingredient, can actually be. Lactobacillus sucklensis is mainly found when the honeysuckle is still white, and at this stage, it has about twice the anti-oxidation effect of other similar strains of flower. This is what Mamonde uses in its First Energy Serum. As you can see, ingredients from honeysuckle are truly the fruition of a meeting between traditional processing methods and modern science.

The observation and study of flowers used by Mamonde take place in Mamonde Garden located in Osan, Korea. An example of this is how researchers may cut a lotus in full bloom in June and observe the white viscous liquid that springs forth. This study has resulted in insights into and the demonstration of the perfection that is the lotus, in how it maintains levels of growth hormones, nutrients and moisture.

There are 60 species of narcissus in Mamonde Garden each with its own special properties. For example, one has the largest floral diameter. Another is also the species with the longest lifespan. Also, as they have different properties, their bulbs have different compositions. As can be seen in the picture, researchers sort narcissus bulbs for the winter. The key point here is not to mix different species of bulbs because they look very similar making it hard to tell which is which. Once mixed, there is no other option but to wait until they come into blossom in the spring.

Mamonde has built up its network with experts in many different fields such as Cheollipo Arboretum, which grows plants and studies species, and a research group studying the composition of flowers, flowering time, physiological effects, background story and history to discover the true beauty of flowers.

Asian Beauty Lab held the 3rd Asian Beauty Research Symposium in Amorepacific R&I Center, Shanghai, China in August 2016. Under the theme of Flower Science & Skin Efficacy Research, Korean and Chinese researchers gathered and shared their research findings. It was indeed a great opportunity to help researchers gain new insight into Flower Science. I believe that such a symposium will bring flower experts together and initiate a new coming together of research.

In a Korean poem, there is this famous phrase, "But when I called you by name, you came to me and became a flower." There are many secrets flowers hold that are yet to be revealed. Once found, they will greatly help us achieve our vision in creating Asian Beauty. I believe that by then, we will be able to see the true beauty of flowers. I look forward to seeing beautiful Mamonde ("My World" in French) in flowers.