Press Release
Open innovation is part of our business management strategies, aimed at sharing technologies and knowledge with external stakeholders to facilitate technological innovation to expand the market. Removing boundaries is crucial to ease the sharing of knowledge between internal and external stakeholders of the company. To be specific, open innovation includes licensing (purchase of technology), joint research, establishing joint ventures, investment in or acquisition of a venture company, subsidiarization, technology solution contests, and the use of open sources. LG H&H also achieved performance in the fields of licensing and joint research by proactively conducting OI (open innovation) activities. In particular, we entered into a service partnership with Perfect Corp., a company specialized in video editing technology and face recognition security. Through this cooperative relationship, we applied API1) in our global digital catalogues. We also expanded licensing, which used to be limited in Korea, abroad in cooperation with SmartStudy. In 2020, we will boost innovation and expand the market using a wide range of methods, including licensing, joint research and technological solution contests.
1) API (Application Programming Interface): Language or message formats used in communication between the operating system and application programs.Open Innovation Platform
(i-Connect, C&D)
In 2021, LG H&H actively carried out open innovation to promote joint research with domestic and foreign companies, institutions, and schools. In collaboration with the 'Donguibogam Research and Development Center,' we conducted research using a virtual human body system built based on 20 million papers on oriental medicine prescriptions, herbal medicines, and ingredients. Through this, we have succeeded in developing the 'Zaha Bichup Complex' ingredient, which is ten times stronger than the skin self-generating ingredient, by analyzing the interactions between oriental herbal ingredients with big data, which could not have been interpreted with existing research methods. We also developed and applied for a patent for an application that visualizes product efficacy data on the face using face tracking1) and AR technology together with 'Simboda,' which possesses the original facial landmark technology. Alongside, we signed an MOU with 'Urban Miner,' a start-up for upcycling activated carbon, and are preparing to launch a clean beauty product using coffee beans from the Cheonan plant by applying functional activated carbon manufacturing technology.
1) Face Tracking : A technology that automatically identifies the face of each people or facial feature points through digital images, and consistently discover feature points in real time.
Visualizing real-time skin condition data
Visualizing real-time skin condition data
Trough ongoing open innovation activities, LG H&H does not simply apply the concept of Korean medicine but internalizes advanced Korean traditional medicine technology into its products.
Since 2006, LG H&H has operated the Korean Medicine Research Society. We have developed dermatological theories that combine traditional Korean medicine and modern dermatology in cooperation with Korean colleges focused on traditioinal Korean medicine, relevant companies, and the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. As a result, we have improved the dermatological effects of our products and developed differentiated formulas containing traditional Korean medicinal features.
In 2017, LG H&H conducted a survey and medical examination by Korean medicine doctors in cooperation with the Korean Medicine Research Society. Based on the survey result, we created the standards for distinguishing skin characteristics. We also established a management system for Korean medicine ingredients in collaboration with OBM Lab, a company specialized in ingredients for Korean medicine extracts, to handle the production process and analytical markers to identify Korean medicine content and boost the efficiency of extraction.
In 2018, we cooperated with the Useful Plant Resources Center at the Korea National Arboretum to develop a technology to propagate Korean medicine raw materials that depend on imports in Korea. This technology development is expected to further increase the reliability of products by enabling domestic production of raw materials that depended on imports. We also established and donated R&D facilities worth KRW 200 million for in-depth technology development and cooperation with the Korea National Arboretum.
In 2019, we signed an agreement for R&D with the Cosmetics Research Center at Beijing Technology and Business University to explore beauty tips inherited from the Chinese imperial family and traditional Chinese dermatological theories. In addition, we cooperated with the Korean Medicine Research Society to expand the scope of research on theories about yin energy. We also discussed the research findings of the dermatological characteristics of people that lack yin energy and how to distinguish the types of customers at the conference of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea, and published a research paper in the journal.
In 2020, in collaboration with the Cosmetics Research Center at Beijing Technology and Business University, we analyzed ancient documents of the Tang Dynasty with its rich record of beauty tips of the Chinese imperial family, explored more than 800 Tang Dynasty imperial beauty tips, and established Chinese dermatological theories. To secure the base technology for the Whoo brand to leap forward as a global brand, we signed an agreement for R&D with European royal herb experts and discovered more than 80 Western royal beauty methods and tips.
Expanding the application of microbiome technology The skin microbiome refers to the microbial ecosystem that coexists on the skin. When the skin microbiome loses its balance, abnormalities occur in the skin. LG H&H is strengthening its research capabilities to develop products with lasting and safe effects through the organic harmony of the skin microbiome. Utilizing our accumulated technical know-how, we are applying our anti-aging technology based on the skin microbiome from a total beauty perspective to various brands, such as 'Whoo Hwanyu Balancer Line', 'Su:m37¢ª Water-full Bluemune Essence', 'Elastine PropoliThera microbiome anti-aging care line', etc., ranging from basic cosmetics to hair and body products.