Cosmax and National Heritage Promotion Agency Develop "Palace Perfume" Capturing the Essence of the Joseon Royal Court

Recreating the Scents of Changgyeonggung Cherry and Deoksugung Wild Plum
Cosmax Develops Palace Fragrances In-House, Plans Expansion to Hand Creams and More

Cosmax, a cosmetics ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) company specializing in research, development, and production, announced on September 11 that it has developed two types of "Danmir Palace Perfume" capturing the scents of cherry trees from Changgyeonggung Palace and wild plum trees from Deoksugung Palace, in collaboration with the National Heritage Promotion Agency and the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Researchers at the Cosmax R&I Center are collecting scents from flowering trees as part of the Sentridge Project. Photo by Cosmax

The Changgyeonggung Cherry Perfume encapsulates the fragrance of cherry blossoms and other flowers surrounding Okcheongyo Bridge within Changgyeonggung Palace. The Deoksugung Wild Plum Perfume recreates the ambiance of the Joseon royal court with the scent of wild plum blossoms from in front of Seokjojeon Hall at Deoksugung Palace.

This development began with the aim of recreating the olfactory heritage of history. In March, Cosmax signed a three-party agreement with the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the National Heritage Promotion Agency, embarking on the development of fragrance cultural heritage content, including the discovery of signature scents representing Korea's palaces.

Since 2016, Cosmax has been conducting the "Scenteritage® Project," which aims to recreate Korea's unique historical scents. The company developed its own technology that captures the natural scent without damaging historically significant materials, allowing for the faithful reproduction of these fragrances.

Through the Scenteritage Project, Cosmax has successfully recreated and developed 21 different scents over the past decade, including the crape myrtle flower scent from Andong Confucian Academy, the Eumseong pine soot ink scent, the Goryeo ginseng scent from Ganghwa, and the Jeju Munbango-u sweet flag scent. Cosmax has obtained patents for the fragrance compositions developed through Scenteritage and has received recognition for its research results through presentations at numerous domestic and international academic conferences.

The palace perfumes will be available for purchase at souvenir shops in the National Palace Museum of Korea, as well as in Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, and through online stores. Cosmax and the National Heritage Promotion Agency plan to expand the product lineup by recreating various historical scents for use in perfumes, hand creams, and other products.

A Cosmax representative stated, "Through this collaboration, we are able to introduce the time-honored scents of our palaces to both domestic and international audiences," adding, "As an ambassador of K-Beauty and K-Scent, Cosmax will continue to strive to secure research data on fragrance cultural heritage rooted in our traditions and history."

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