The 21st century is an era of unlimited competition without physical borders. In this era, the core task for company management is to diversify and differentiate its products that will capture attention and stimulate customers’ interest. After starting imports in 1986, the cosmetic industry has opened the market in full scale since the 1990s. Today, from manufacturing to sales, the cosmetic industry is meeting the era of openness and globalization. In order to survive harsh competition, it is time for the cosmetic industry to seek new technologies.


For a long time, women have dreamed of having clear, transparent, and white skin. Koreans considered white and smooth skin as the essential elements of beauty. Many cosmetics with more than two functions are popular among Korean women who are busy with work and participation in social activities. By using one product, the emphasis is ‘save time and get more results’. When a higher level of technology is applied, single-function cosmetics are changing into multi-functional cosmetics with more than two purposes, and these new cosmetics are infiltrating another niche market.




In the past 10 years, patent applications related to cosmetics technology showed a continuously increasing trend, with an average growth of about 20% per year. As the middle class gained economic clout and expanded in the 1990s, women looked to cosmetics to do more than moisturize and protect skin. Cosmetics began to focus on visible and effective goals, such as whitening skin, preventing wrinkles, and blocking harmful ultraviolet rays. Customers have responded to the newer cosmetics by favoring high-functional products.


According to KIPO, patents on the contents of multi-functional cosmetics was first filed in 1992, and until 2004, 67 patents were filed related to the contents of multi-functional cosmetics. Among these patents, 82% (55 patents) were filed between 2000 ~ 2004, indicating the explosive increase of recent patent applications related to the contents of multi-functional cosmetics.


Looking at the patent application trend of multi-functional cosmetics by applicants, 35 were filed by domestic applicants, and 32 were filed by foreign applicants. Initially, applications were usually filed by domestic applicants. However, since 2004, the number of foreign applications has increased. (See Annex 1) Countries leading foreign applications are France with 13 applications (19%), US with 6 (9%), Japan with 5 (7%) and Netherlands with 4 (6%). (See Annex 2)

Looking at the materials in patent applications related to multi-functional cosmetics, 33 applications (50% of all applications) covered extractions from natural sources, 17 (25% of all applications) covered synthetic compounds or chemical compounds extracted from natural sources, and 17 (25% of all applications) covered one compound with one function added with another compound with a different function. In brief, patent applications related to multi-functional cosmetics are typically focusing on the use of natural sources.


Looking at the materials in domestic patent applications, 23 applications (66% of all domestic applications) covered extractions from natural sources, such as mulberry tree barks, green tea, paeonia lactiflora pallas, bombysis corpus, sorbus commixta hedl, phellinus baumii, kimchi extractions, and crops extractions. Meanwhile, 6 applications (17% of all domestic applications) covered organic compounds.


When we look at foreign applications, 12 applications (38% of all foreign applications) covered chemical compounds, 11 (34% of all foreign applications) covered organic compounds, and only 9 used extraction from natural sources. This is a definite difference when compared to domestic applications (See Annex 3).


Looking at multi-functional cosmetics by their functions, 18 applications (27%) were related to whitening and wrinkle improvement functions, 8 (12%) were related to whitening and UV protection functions, 8 (12%) were related to whitening and acne improvement functions, 5 (7%) were related to wrinkle improvement and UV protection functions, and 6 (9%) were related to wrinkle and acne improvement. Also, inspired by today’s demand on fitness, there were applications covering multi-functional cosmetics that promise a slimming function as well as removal of tough skin. Moreover, there were several applications covering cosmetics with more than 3 functions. For example, 10 applications (15%) covered cosmetics with functions of acne improvement, whitening and wrinkle improvement, while 5 (7%) covered cosmetics with functions of whitening, UV protection and wrinkle improvement. There was even an application covering cosmetics with functions of whitening, wrinkle improvement, UV protection, plus slimming.


Compared to medicine, the cosmetics industry can develop competitive products with relatively less time and cost. It is being recognized as an innovative industry, where high value-added can be generated with small capital. Also, as shown above, the target functions of cosmetics are continuously expanding from whitening, wrinkle improvement and UV protection to acne improvement, and slimming. To continuously reinforce competitiveness, the Korean cosmetics industry must put more effort into developing technology focusing on multi-functionality, as well as high-functionality. Also, continuous R&D must be done on cosmetics systems that can facilitate the transference of medicinal effects to skin, added to the original function of cosmetics: pursuing beauty.


Since research on natural sources is based on Korea’s traditional medicine, we can secure competitive power compared to foreign developers. By establishing a unique DB for collecting sources, research on natural sources must be considered as the core area of development in the domestic cosmetics industry. Also, by applying state-of-the-art technology such as nanotech, cosmetics with more efficiency shall be developed. Finally, aggressive and continuous investment in R&D shall be made, similar to the investment levels in the pharmaceutical industry, in order to secure global competitiveness.