18 INTERVIEW
own cosmetic regulations. France and Italy, for example, mandate for full cosmetic product labelling to be in their own languages.
TP: People tell me they want more global harmonisation of cosmetics regulation, but it seems the direction of travel is going the other way. MS: Like I said, more countries are using regulatory hurdles as a sort of non-tariff trade wall. This includes my own country, Korea. Korea is implementing a new
safety regulation from 2028 that is going to have a very big impact for companies that want to enter the Korean market. The regulation is being drafted, but it may be a hybrid between the EU and Chinese models. Japan is also considering
introducing new safety regulations, and ASEAN countries are waiting to make amendments to strengthen their safety assessment regulations.
TP: It all seems very laborious. Presumably REACH24H can help the industry cut through the red tape, to some extent, with the AI and the like. Are you using AI? MS: Yes, we are dealing with worldwide regulations. In the past we would monitor all the different regulations, Japan, China, EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Brazil, ASEAN by visiting the various national websites, pretty much every day. And if you didn’t understand, for example, Japanese, it was very
PERSONAL CARE November 2025
“The world looks to K-Beauty for innovation, and we introduce new ingredients, like exosomes or
microneedles” Mike Sohn, general manager and principal consultant, REACH24H Korea
difficult to find information. But now, with AI, we can
monitor and gather information very precisely and quickly. We have a platform called ChemLinked that provides timely regulatory updates to our subscribers. As well as regulation
monitoring, we also use AI for regulation compliance. We write safety assessment reports based on each ingredient. AI helps to perform calculations to determine whether a product is safe based on ingredient concentrations and formulations.
AI also helps us internally to
organise product and regulatory information for all the different countries.
TP: Turning to wider trends, as a Korean, what is it about Korea that makes K-Beauty and other aspects of its culture so popular right now? MS: I think Korea was a hidden gem and that global consumers found something new. China and Japan have already been exposed to the world but Korean culture, food, and so on was different and exciting: K-Pop, K-Movies, K-Drama and, of course, K-Beauty.
TP: There may have been novelty
value, but K-Beauty is totally mainstream now and people haven’t really moved on to something else. Why is that, in your view? MS: The world looks to K-Beauty for innovation, and we introduce new ingredients, like exosomes or microneedles. Those innovations have been also very exciting. We have a fast culture. Our
people are diligent yet also fast. We also like to try new approaches with our R&D. We do innovation really quick and fast. Also, our turnover is really fast.
Three months, six months, and the trend changes. Koreans are used to those fast changes and adapting to new environments and new trends. That comes from being a small
country, I think. We have a small market compared to China, Japan, the US, the EU. If we want our industry to grow,
we have to sell outside Korea, and that means adaption to new trends. If you want to be successful, you have to be successful in the global market, not just in Korea.
TP: What’s hot right now in Korea? MS: The next level of face sheet masks. Hydrogel sheets, for glassy skin, are up and coming. In terms of
ingredients: exosomes, liposomes and novel peptides are hot.
TP: I see you are on the panel for the Ask The Experts session at this month’s in-cosmetics Asia trade show in Bangkok. MS: Yes, it is one of the new programmes for this year’s show. It takes place at 4.15pm on the first day, 4 November, just before the awards ceremony. There are seven experts who are
available to discuss specific topics, strategies or any issues they may be having some trouble with. The other experts are Oliver
Hofmann, technical director of Shieling Laboratories; Faiza Hussain, director of The Skin Shrink; Amarjit Sahota, founder of Ecovia Intelligence; Barbara Olioso, CEO of The Green Chemist Consultancy; Muhammad Hadiyatullah and
Muhammad Raafi, co-founders of Brighty Official. On the same day, I am giving
a talk called ‘From Seoul to Shelf: How K-Beauty is Shaping the Global Sunscreen Market and the Impact of Regulatory Environment in the US’. This will cover what has to be
considered when selling products deemed OTC drugs in the US. I will also participate in the
‘Future-Proof Beauty - Sustainable Formulation, Innovation & Packaging Trends’ panel discussion on 6 November. Other than that, I am one of the Spotlight on Biotech Beauty award judges. See you in Bangkok!
PC
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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