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INTERVIEW
had with someone at Estée Lauder – early on at my time at Sunjin - who was very big in purchasing raw materials. We talked about Estée Lauder
replacing some raw materials in their existing products with our raw materials. But a year later he told me they tried but they couldn’t replace them. I realised that replacing existing raw materials in existing products can be very difficult due to the formulation of, say, 20-30 ingredients. So, I realized that we need to
develop something new. Eventually, we sold cosmetic raw materials to Estée Lauder. And L’Oréal, and many more!
TP: Does that include UV filters and sunscreen, for which Sunjin Beauty Science is now probably best known? SL: Pretty much as soon as I joined Sunjin, I started work on sun care. At the time, sun care raw materials were 100% imported from overseas. We were the first company
in Korea to develop silica/TiO2 composite ingredients.
TP: And I suppose the global rise of K-Beauty and Korea being cool - K-pop, K-cinema and other Korean culture – was important to Sunjin? SL: Yes, very important. Twenty-five years ago, when I first entered the raw material business, Japan was dominant. It was always Japan that led
cosmetic trends, and Japanese suppliers who would sell to Korean brands. Korean brands would try to copy
Japanese products. But now it’s K-beauty trends that are big, and Korean companies have benefited with bigger sales – including exports. The Korean cosmetic raw
material market is small, so we have to go out to catch bigger fishes in the overseas market. At the same time, we have been
lucky with the rise of e-commerce and indie brands. Indie brands are our favourite type of customer. Of course, we like serving the
big players too but indie brands are faster to market. We like being fast to market. We are 100% dedicated to
cosmetics, and we have no middle men. I think that is our strong advantage. We have entered the contract manufacturing business. It’s not
The reliability and steadiness of the cosmetic raw materials business is its
beauty Sungho Lee, President and CEO, Sunjin Beauty Science
unique, perhaps, but it’s not traditional. We have also started our own finished product brand. More recently, we have established and expanded two research centres; one is for raw material development and the second is for finished formulation development. We have also established a clinical test service company.
TP: What was the rationale for starting a clinical test service company? SL: Good question! The clinical test service business is super competitive in Korea. It is said that there are 50 clinical test centres in Korea. A friend of mine, who owns
a clinical test company, strongly discouraged me to open a critical test service centre. He said that I would not make any money, and so on. But we opened it in 2024 and it’s
worked quite well. We see a synergy between
the clinical test centre, the raw material business, and the contract manufacturing. It’s like the tomato ketchup in a hamburger. On its own, it may not taste very nice. But they
PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE February 2026
complement each other. My goal is to sell more hamburgers!
TP: And to sell ‘Vegan hamburgers’ too? SL: I believe synthetic biology is one of the most promising technologies in the cosmetic industry. We are currently at a pivotal moment, integrating synthetic biology into bio-cosmetic materials. Global consumers love to use
vegan products, perhaps more than animal origin products. Collagen, squalane, there are so many. We are actively integrating
synthetic biology into the production of cosmetic raw materials, particularly to develop sustainable, bio-based alternatives to traditional ingredients. While synthetic biology faces
a long road of clinical trials before it can be applied to mainstream medicine, its application in the cosmetics industry can be achieved much faster. Our strategic goal is to lead
the Vegan transition by replacing traditional animal-derived ingredients—such as collagen, squalene, and lanolin—with plant- based alternatives created through synthetic biology. Our newly expanded Sunjin
Clinical Research Centre serves as the engine for this transition, allowing us to verify the efficacy and safety of these innovative materials at an unprecedented pace.
TP: What are your strategic short to medium term plans for Sunjin Beauty Science, on a domestic and global basis? SL: In Korea, we will solidify our One-Stop Platform that seamlessly links ingredients, clinical research, manufacturing, and brand development. Globally, we are strengthening
our ‘hyper-localized’ support through our newly established subsidiaries in New Jersey in the USA, and in Crema near Milan in Italy. Our contract cosmetic
manufacturing factory, the first cGMP-compliant OTC dedicated facility in Korea, will be the key to partnering with global brands navigating the complexities of the USA’s MoCRA regulations.
TP: What other trends do you see in cosmetics, in Korea and the wider industry? SL: In Korea, the current trend is the fusion of clean and science. K-beauty has evolved beyond mere texture innovation; it is now about proving technical superiority at the molecular level. Consumers no longer just want
natural products - they demand sustainable, high-performance ingredients backed by transparent data.
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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