South Korea’s COSMAX Group, a leading cosmetics original design manufacturer, have joined hands with France’s L’Oréal Group to jointly research the skin microbiome.

COSMAX said on Sunday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with L’Oréal Group to develop innovative beauty solutions based on green science and microbiome technology.

On June 29, Barbara Lavernos, head of Research, Innovation and Technologies at L’Oréal Group, and Lee Kyung-soo, chairman of COSMAX Group, held a signing ceremony at COSMAX’s Pangyo headquarters in Gyeonggi Province, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in future microbiome research.

Microbiome is a combination of microbe and biome, and refers to the microorganisms living in the human body and their genetic information.

According to market research firm Frost & Sullivan, the global microbiome market is expected to reach $108.7 billion this year, growing at an annual growth rate of 7.6 percent from $87.2 billion in 2020. In the cosmetics field, research is actively underway to develop cosmetics that utilize skin beneficial bacteria found through skin microbiome research to reduce chemical ingredients compared to existing products while increasing functionality, such as skin regeneration and anti-aging.

“COSMAX has been collaborating with L’Oréal Group in various fields for 20 years since 2004 and we are pleased that this agreement will once again lay the foundation for both companies to lead the future cosmetics market,” said Lee.

COSMAX’s relationship with L’Oréal began in 2004 when it developed and manufactured products for Maybelline, one of the French firm’s flagship brands. Since then, the brand has become a household name across Asia.

Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop cosmetic ingredients derived from new strains of the skin microbiome and conduct joint research on their application in real-world products. They will develop eco-friendly cosmetic formulations with key know-how derived from microbiome engineering.

By Lee Sae-bom and Minu Kim

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