Suncare with 'Ingredient Discovered by NASA'... Color Makeup Line to Launch Within the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Dr.Jart+ has introduced a sun care line in Korea for the first time using 'space microbes' discovered by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as raw materials. The company plans to expand the product range within the year to include color cosmetics such as BB cream.

On the 27th, Minhee Ahn, Team Leader of Innovation Team 1 at Dr.Jart+ Product Headquarters, said, "This 'Solarbiome' line is Dr.Jart+'s core competitive advantage," adding, "We expect it to present a new topic in a market with a strong demand for 'safe and good ingredients'." Solarbiome is a compound word combining 'solar,' meaning sunlight, and 'microbiome,' referring to the body's microbial information, and it denotes an ingredient independently developed by Dr.Jart+.

Dr.Jart+ discovered that microbes (Micrococcus lysate and Bacillus ferment) that survived extreme space environments protect the skin from intense sunlight, and developed sun care products using these substances as raw materials. The product manufacturing and development were done in collaboration with the cosmetic manufacturing and research and development (ODM) company Cosmax, and a joint patent application has been filed.

Team Leader Ahn stated, "According to NASA research, these microbes survived for over a year even under various harmful rays and high-temperature environments exceeding 100 degrees Celsius." Derived from natural sources such as soil, freshwater, and deserts, these substances are 1.5 to 3.5 micrometers in diameter, too small to be seen with the naked eye, but have proven skin protection and soothing effects due to their strong defense and extreme resilience.

The growing demand in the premium sun care market also motivated product development. Team Leader Ahn emphasized, "As the ozone layer is depleted, increasing the amount of harmful rays reaching the Earth, demand for premium sun care products excluding chemical ingredients is also rising."

Team Leader Ahn said, “It is true that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unfavorable market environment for the launch of this new line, which has been prepared over a long period, but we are determined to overcome it with product quality alone,” adding, “We plan to expand the related product range to include color cosmetics such as BB cream within the year.”

The Solarbiome line was first launched domestically last week, and is scheduled to launch in the European market in the second half of the year, starting with Hong Kong as early as the end of next month. However, considering the COVID-19 situation, the overseas business will maintain a low-key strategy for the time being. He said, “Overseas market meetings have been delayed due to COVID-19, and although conference call meetings have resumed through the New York office, restrictions on launch activities are inevitable for the time being.”

In the U.S. market, discussions are underway to launch through Sephora. Considering the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over-the-counter (OTC) certification process, it is expected to take about two years to reach market launch. He said, "Our greatest expectations are for the Chinese market, a major consumer of sun care products." Market demand was confirmed by the success of last year's 'Vital Hydra Solution Skincare Duo.' This product, which Dr.Jart+ first introduced to China through Wanghong (Li Jiaqi) marketing last year, set a record by selling out 19,000 sets within 30 seconds of launch on social networking services (SNS).

Dr.Jart+, established in 2004 as a derma cosmetic specialist brand, is credited as a key player in introducing BB cream, a symbol of K-beauty, to the U.S. market. In addition to Solarbiome, the brand has consecutively produced hits by applying new ingredients and concepts such as Ceramidin and Cicapair, and was recognized for this value by being acquired last year by the U.S. cosmetics company Est?e Lauder for about 2 trillion won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.