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TUTORIAL 21


product and if a company’s products meet this definition and abide by the regulations then the company can launch their products onto the market and the products will be subject to in-market control. In contrast, South Korea has two categories of cosmetics – general cosmetics and functional cosmetics. General cosmetics are subject to in-market control whereas functional cosmetics, such as brightening, anti-wrinkle and tanning products, must be submitted to the MFDS for prior approval. Due to the differing regulations, a product that complies with the Korean Cosmetic Act might not be allowed for sale in Europe. There is also the question of local trading standards authorities. In Korea, products that resemble food items such as fruit or yoghurt are very popular. One example is Tony Moly’s Banana Hand Cream which contains banana extract, looks like mashed banana, is fragranced like banana and is packaged into banana shaped componentry. Although there is a similar trend for cosmetics to contain food extracts in the UK, due to trading standards surrounding food imitation products, it would potentially not be legal to launch a product that imitates food so closely in the UK. Aside from cosmetic regulations, a second point to consider is the target audience in Europe compared to Korea. Korean formulations are known for their ability to be layered during a multi-step skin care routine. The stereotypical Korean 10- step skin care routine consists of: 1. Oil based cleanser 2. Surfactant based cleanser 3. Exfoliator 4. Toner 5. Essence 6. Serums, Boosters and Ampoules 7. Sheet mask 8. Eye cream 9. Face cream 10. SPF or BB/CC cream In reality, due to people living


increasingly busy lifestyles most people simply do not have time to complete this full regime on a regular basis. However, despite the trend to cut down on the time spent on beauty routines, there is still the expectation that products should be able to be layered without causing any issues. Due to this, the general belief is that Korean products are very light in texture. It is certainly true that most toners, essences, ampoules and serums tend to vary in texture from water-thin liquids to fluid gels; however, a lot of these products actually have a surprisingly tacky after-feel compared to the post-application skin-feel that most European consumers are accustomed to. This tacky after-feel is probably due to


these products containing a high humectant content, such as glycerin and/or


September 2018


butylene glycol. Humectants are hygroscopic, meaning that they hold onto water and are therefore great moisturisers, but they also tend to leave a sticky film on the skin. This falls in line with the Korean preference for ‘chok chok’ - skin that is super moisturised with a dewy appearance. A European formulator might benefit from taking inspiration from the initially lightweight texture, good spreadability and highly moisturising properties, but tweak the final formulation to also be non-tacky for European consumers. There are plenty of options for non-tacky moisturising ingredients, including natural plant extracts that stimulate the skin’s own sodium hyaluronate synthesis,6


osmoregulators that help to manage the skin’s internal moisture levels.7


and water soluble These


changes would lead to a formulation that is inspired by K-Beauty but also developed to be suitable for the European market. Another example is that almost all


Korean brands offer a whitening range that focuses on lightening the skin and providing an even skin-tone. This is due to dark spots and hyperpigmentation being a major concern for Korean consumers with regards to ageing. Most whitening products contain active ingredients to help reduce pigmentation, but these active ingredients can take a long time to show any visible effect. Korea’s solution to this is the ‘Tone Up’ cream, which contains a small amount of titanium dioxide to instantly whiten the skin upon application. For example, Etude House’s Sweet Pudding Tone Up Cream lists titanium dioxide fourth on the ingredients list.8


In Europe, rather than skin


whitening the market demand is for products centred on brightening and radiance. Tone Up creams are therefore unlikely to catch on here, but the skin lightening active ingredients used within the products could be useful for European products that improve skin radiance. A European formulator also needs to


bear current market trends in mind when developing new products. In the UK there is currently a growing market demand for cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics. In South Korea pig collagen, horse and donkey oil, and snail extract are widely used for their skin care benefits, but these ingredients would clearly not fit the animal-conscious consumer market in the UK. Another trend in the UK is for clean ingredients lists, for example products with a maximum of 10 ingredients listed on pack. This allows consumers to more easily research the breakdown of a product and identify the skin care benefits of each ingredient. However, in Korea there is still the belief that a longer list of ingredients means that a product will offer better efficacy and it is therefore quite common to see at least 30- 40 ingredients on pack.


With all of these points to bear in mind,


where does a European formulator start when trying to benchmark a Korean product? If the aim is not to benchmark a specific Korean product, but just to take general inspiration from Korean trends, here are some tips to get started:


Quick-break effect As previously mentioned, Korean products are generally designed to be layered during a multi-step skin care routine. This means that formulations must be easy to spread, absorbed relatively quickly and not lead to any pilling.


Synthetic polymers such as carbomer and acrylates copolymer are widely used to thicken the aqueous phase of formulations and provide a quick-break effect on the skin. These can be used by themselves to create fresh-feeling gels for serums and essences, or they can be combined with traditional emulsifiers to thicken creams and modify the overall rheology.


Water drop effect The quick-break effect can be taken to an extreme with ‘water drop’ products, such as Tony Moly’s Goat Milk Premium Cream. These products are typically based on water-in-oil or water-in-silicone emulsions with very large water droplets in the internal phase. When the cream is rubbed on the skin, large water droplets are released and can be clearly seen on the skin. This type of product is great in warm weather due to the cool, refreshing skin-feel. Some water drop creams contain a coloured water phase so that the cream seems to release green tea or milk upon rubbing, rather than just water. Specific types of emulsifiers are required to achieve a water drop effect because the system needs to be able to create a stable structure with a very high water content and large internal droplet size. Some suppliers have created premixed blends that specifically create water drop emulsions, such as Sunjin Beauty Science’s WaterDropSil,9


or for more experienced


formulators in this area it is also possible to have more control over the droplet size by combining the correct blend of silicone fluid to silicone elastomer emulsifiers. With this type of product it is important not to apply too much shear to the formulation during production as this can cause the droplet size to decrease, which will diminish the water drop effect.


Jelly textures Moisturisers, hydrogel masks and sleeping packs with jelly textures have been a popular trend in Korea for the past couple of years. Products such as Laneige’s Firming Sleeping Pack feel like jelly when scooped out of the jar and then exhibit a “memory gel” texture where the product reforms a


PERSONAL CARE EUROPE


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