Kolmar Korea develops powder skin care that melts into skin
Kolmar Korea's new powder that melts and is absorbed when rubbed onto the skin / Courtesy of Kolmar Korea
Kolmar Korea, a cosmetics developer and manufacturer, said Thursday it has developed a hyaluronic acid powder that melts and is absorbed when rubbed onto the skin, the first such product in Korea.
The company said it has obtained a patent for the technology, which turns hyaluronic acid, a widely used moisturizing ingredient, into a powder of sharp, needle-like crystals. It is the first time the ingredient has been made into this form in the cosmetics industry, according to the company.
The product mimics spicules, tiny needle-shaped natural materials taken from marine sponges. Spicules lightly stimulate the skin’s surface to help active ingredients absorb, and the tingling sensation they cause has made spicule cosmetics popular. But because they are hard and do not dissolve in water, they can irritate the skin and must be washed off.
After about four years of research, Kolmar Korea developed a method of hardening hyaluronic acid particles into crystals and shaping them into 250-micrometer pointed powder. Like spicules, the crystals help ingredients penetrate the skin, but because hyaluronic acid dissolves in water, they melt into the skin without irritation and do not need to be washed off.
Users simply dab the powder on and rub it in gently. Tests showed it kept skin moisturized up to 62 percent longer than regular cream, the company said.
Kolmar Korea plans to launch skin care products using the powder, including ones containing soothing ingredients such as retinol and centella asiatica extract, and to apply the technology to serums, creams and mists.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.