30-year R&D Efforts Bearing Fruit
Kolmar Korea’s 30-year R&D efforts are bearing fruit. The original development manufacturer (ODM) currently has a total of 422 registered patents along with 774 that have been applied for. The figures are the highest in the cosmetic ODM industry of South Korea. R&D personnel accounts for more than 30 percent of the company’s staff and the company’s annual R&D investment constitutes approximately 6 percent of its annual sales.
Kolmar Korea has launched a number of original products. For example, its two-way cake foundations developed in the early stage of its business were very popular with female consumers in the 1990s. In addition, the first combination between foundation and BB cream was developed and launched by none other than Kolmar Korea.
These days, the company’s R&D capabilities are making a great contribution to import replacement in the domestic cosmetics industry. Specifically, its 500 staff members have developed 18 import replacements for six years. The examples include amino acid-derived surfactants for use in foam cleansers and shampoos, synthetic phospholipids applied to eye creams, and natural pigments. The company’s cost reduction effect based on the replacements amounted to 92 billion won for the six-year period.
More recently, its innovative material superior to existing inorganic UV blockers was covered by the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. The material is capable of addressing the problems of white cast and photocatalysis and is expected to widen the spectrum of sunscreen products.