5 reasons to attend in-cosmetics Korea

The show will return to Seoul this week with an exciting new programme to help cosmetic scientists and R&D teams create a new wave of innovative, on-trend beauty products.

South Korea’s largest event for the personal care and cosmetic ingredients industry will open its doors this week, revealing a host of new and exciting initiatives for beauty industry professionals.

in-cosmetics Korea will return the vibrant city of Seoul from 12 to 14 July, providing up to 10 000 international R&D specialists and formulators with access to 280 global and independent personal care ingredient suppliers – including Seppic Asia, DSM, Ashland, Innovacos Corp, Global Bioenergies, Evonik and KCC Silicone Corporation – and invaluable educational content that will shape future product development strategies.

Five reasons to attend this year’s event:

1. Natural Extract Zone: With 21%^[1] of all Korean skincare launches in 2022 being vegan and eco-friendly, ‘clean beauty’ trends remain hugely important as consumers increasingly opt for ethical and environmentally friendly regimes. As such, this year’s show will be premiering its first-ever Natural Extract Zone, spotlighting the suppliers gaining a foothold in the South Korean beauty market and helping brands identify natural ingredients that can replace synthetic ones. Visitors will find both regional and global suppliers in the area, including the likes of Microphyt, Florihana, Plantus, JC Buck and Shebah Biotech.
2. The long reign of J-Beauty: Before K-Beauty emerged, Japan reigned king of beauty trends and today brands, such as SHISEIDO, Bioré, and SK:II, hold a prominent place in beauty cabinets. Some of the most prominent creators of J-Beauty will star at this year’s event, offering visitors the chance to experience Japan’s most sought-after ingredients and formulations. Japanese expert in dermatology, molecular biology, and biotechnology, Nikko Chemicals Co. will unveil its brand-new NIKKOL LECINOL, while SEIWA KASEI will showcase its latest biomimetic haircare ingredient, PhytoCuticle. Yukari Ichikawa, Regional Manager of Technical Information Innovation Development at the SHISEIDO Asia Pacific Innovation Centre, will also discuss a next gen anti-ageing strategy based on new bio-mechanical findings on Wednesday, 12 July.
3. Innovation Zone: At the heart of the exhibition lies the Innovation Zone which will showcase 37 new ingredients. Conveniently split into functional and active ingredients, the area will enable R&D professionals to identify, learn and be inspired by the latest inspirational ingredients and product concepts. Amongst the crème de la crème of the industry launching new ingredients will be Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, Laboratoires Expanscience, Shanxi Jinbo Bio-Pharma, Mibelle Biochemistry, and Guangzhou Tinci Materials. 
4. Best Ingredient Award: All ingredients in the Innovation Zone will be entered into the in-cosmetics Korea Innovation Zone Best Ingredient Award 2023, which will celebrate the most creative products and solutions launched in the last eight months. The winning ingredients – selected by a highly experienced panel, including Lorna Radford, Founder and Managing Director at ENKOS; Seongmin (Mike) Sohn, CEO and Principal Consultant at REACH24H; Junbae Lee, a Research Director at Cosmax; Youah Kim, Chief Researcher/Team Manager at Korea Kolmar and Junho Choi, Chief Researcher at Amorepacific – will be announced at 16:15 (local time) on 12 July in the Marketing Trends Seminar Theatre. All visitors are invited to attend.
5. K-Beauty Inspiration Zone: Against the backdrop of K-Beauty set to reach US$18.32 billion by 2030 and over six million Instagram posts tagged with #kbeauty, the K-Beauty Inspiration Zone will also return at the show for the fourth time. Korean and international researchers alike will get first glimpses at the innovations and formulations driving viral K-Beauty trends. The top products are carefully selected and analysed by industry experts. The zone is divided into two sections – a product showcase and an open theatre. Attendees will be able to experience and physically test products, as well as hear from leading experts on key trends.

in-cosmetics Korea is returning to Seoul from 12 to 14 July 2023 at the Coex Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea. For more information and to register to attend, click here.