'K-Beauty Midwife' COSMAX Partners with Harvard Hospital to Enter Biotech Business

Carry out the "VIVA Project" through 2029
First-phase research identifies mechanism for alleviating atopic dermatitis symptoms
Expand research from weight and metabolic management to anti-aging

COSMAX, a cosmetics original development manufacturing (ODM) company, is expanding its joint research with the hospital network affiliated with Harvard Medical School in the United States. The company plans to broaden its bio and healthcare business by drawing on skin microbiome research to identify ingredients for health functional foods and new drug candidates.

COSMAX Group said on October 21 that it signed an agreement with Mass General Brigham (MGB) on October 13 (local time) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, United States, for a second joint microbiome research project. MGB is a healthcare system that oversees the network of teaching hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

The two sides will conduct the "VIVA Project" from 2026 to 2029. In their first joint research project, conducted from 2024 to 2026, COSMAX combined its accumulated skin microbiome data with MGB's clinical research data. The research confirmed how substances derived from certain microorganisms alleviate symptoms in an atopic dermatitis model and improve skin barrier function. The skin barrier protects the skin from external irritants and prevents moisture loss.

Lee Kyungsoo, chairman of Cosmax Group (right), and Mike McNally, MGB's chief development officer, pose for a commemorative photo at the Cosmax-MGB joint research agreement signing ceremony held on the 13th (local time) at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, United States. Photo provided by Cosmax Group.

The findings were published in Allergy, an international journal covering allergy and clinical immunology. A domestic patent application was also filed for technology derived from the relevant microorganisms. Building on the results of the first project, COSMAX plans to expand the fields of application in the second.

The key goal is to identify not only cosmetic ingredients but also functional ingredients for health functional foods and new drug candidates. The company will use MGB's clinical research infrastructure to verify the efficacy and safety of candidate substances, and will also research ingredients related to anti-aging and slow aging.

Weight and metabolic management are also major areas of research. COSMAX plans to identify lactic acid bacteria and health functional food ingredients that act in a manner similar to GLP-1, a hormone involved in regulating appetite and blood sugar. However, further research will be needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of these ingredients before they can be used in actual products.

The company will also change how it uses artificial intelligence (AI) in research. Rather than limiting its use to data analysis, COSMAX plans to use AI to formulate research hypotheses and identify promising candidate substances. The aim is to increase the speed and efficiency of research and development.

COSMAX has also established a foundation for turning research results into actual products. The company has received certification of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards for medical devices and established a development and production system for Class II adhesive transparent wound dressings that protect injured areas.

Lee Kyungsoo, chairman of COSMAX Group, said, "Our first joint research project produced results including publication in an international journal and a patent application. Through the VIVA Project, we will secure technological competitiveness in the bio and medical fields, beyond cosmetics."

COSMAX has conducted microbiome research since 2011. It currently holds about 3,100 microbial assets and has filed 204 related patent applications. It has also developed FaceLink, an analysis platform that classifies Korean skin into 12 types.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.