[Edaily Reporter KIM EUNG-TAE ] Promising beauty companies that have entered the cosmetics industry based on their own technologies and raw materials are reshaping the K-Beauty market. Breaking away from the traditional formula for success—which relied on large-scale contract development and manufacturing (ODM) firms to produce products and then competed through marketing—these companies are now attracting consumers by introducing products that incorporate their own raw materials and delivery technologies. Industry analysts suggest that in the fast-paced cosmetics market, where trends change rapidly, companies that leverage their own intellectual property (IP) will have an advantage in establishing a differentiated market position.

According to the beauty industry on the 26th, companies expanding their cosmetics businesses based on proprietary IP are drawing attention. The startup StarTech, founded in 2017, is a prime example. The company first made a name for itself by producing eco-friendly de-icing agents using starfish, a type of marine waste, and in 2022, it launched the beauty brand “Labope,” marking its full-scale entry into the cosmetics industry. Labope developed the “Penelagen” ingredient—which combines collagen extracted from starfish with the skin delivery technology “Elastic Ethosome” (TDS)—and applied it to its cosmetics. The company was granted a patent in 2021 in recognition of its technology, which rapidly delivers the active collagen ingredients derived from starfish to the dermis layer of the skin.
The brand’s philosophy of sustainability is also emerging as a key differentiator. By creating cosmetics using starfish—which had been a nuisance to fishermen as they preyed on farmed shellfish—the company is generating social value. It has also been recognized for its social contributions by the Social Value Research Institute, led by SK Chairman Choi Tae-won.
Cosmetics company MSC Lab is an example of a firm that has expanded its market presence by establishing a patented skin barrier ingredient as a core brand asset. MSC Lab’s beauty brand, “Cell Fusion C,” has launched cosmetics formulated with its proprietary patented ingredient, “NE0-CMS®.” NE0-CMS® is a complex of ingredients that mimics the skin barrier—composed of skin lipids and the outer membranes of keratinocytes—and offers specialized functions for skin protection and hydration. Skin with a weakened barrier experiences increased moisture loss and is more easily exposed to harmful environmental factors; however, applying cosmetics based on this ingredient helps strengthen the skin barrier.

PharmaResearch(214450)is targeting the market with “c-PDRN,” a patented ingredient that combines “PDRN”—a salmon-derived ingredient that contributes to skin regeneration—with “DOT” (DNA Optimizing Technology). DOT, the core technology behind this patented ingredient, involves the micro-processing of salmon-derived DNA fragments for cosmetic use. It refines the raw material to a size one-six hundred and seventy-th of a pore, ensuring even and uniform absorption into the skin. Leveraging this delivery technology, the company is successfully expanding the use of PDRN—previously used primarily in medical clinic procedures—into the cosmetics market.
In the beauty industry, where market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, there is a growing consensus that companies with their own intellectual property (IP) will stand out. This is because, compared to brands that rely on contract manufacturers for production, companies with their own IP can sustain themselves in the market over the long term thanks to their differentiated technological capabilities. In particular, as the cosmetics market has recently seen a strong trend toward the “derma” (functional) segment—which emphasizes expertise—there is a growing expectation that preference will shift toward companies with their own IP that possess both technological prowess and credibility. An industry insider noted, “There is a clear trend in the K-Beauty market toward favoring brands that pursue brand expertise based on their own IP,” adding, “Brands with core IP have an advantage in product differentiation and can more easily expand into specialized channels such as pharmacies.”