Hankyung.com's Introduces: COSMAX's Skin Microbiome Research Becomes First of Its Kind to Be Published in International Scientific Journal

• Published in Nature Communications Biology, the thesis reveals the connection between skin microorganisms and aging
• Expected new product launches include anti-aging, hair loss prevention, and oral care products
• The fruit of six years of research, the findings secure a "super gap" in skin microbiome research

SEOUL, South Korea, April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global cosmetics research, development, and ODM company, COSMAX (CEO Lee Byung-man), and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) have become the first in the world to reveal the correlation between the skin microbiome and skin aging.

COSMAX announced that its thesis titled, "Spermidine-induced Recovery of Dermal Structure and Barrier Function by Skin Microbiome," has been published by Nature Communications Biology.

In 2015, COSMAX identified that a person's skin flora directly regulates the skin, and the company began to carry out research related to anti-aging. After discovering that the number of microorganisms that live on the skin decreases with age, they hypothesized that it held an important key to anti-aging and started performing genetic analysis. 

They named a newly-discovered microorganism "Strain-COXMAX," and together with GIST, they conducted a whole genome analysis that can trace the role of entire genomes to uncover the microorganism's anti-aging functions.

The results of the analysis revealed that the microorganism affects the aging process by regulating various metabolic functions of the skin. It was also discovered that spermidine, which is created during the metabolic process, directly impacts skin anti-aging. Furthermore, spermidine showed efficacy in improving skin moisture, elasticity, and anti-aging by activating collagenisis and lipid secretion.

"Discovering the correlation mechanism between the skin microbiome and aging is a feat that was achieved through six years of hard work," said R&I center director Park Myeong-sam. "The technology super gap will be used in the next generation of anti-aging cosmetics and biomaterials in the global market."

COXMAX is expected to expand the application of the skin microbiome to various products. Such products include:

• anti-aging cosmetics
• anti-hair loss shampoo
• mouthwash and
• functional foods for oral health.

"The publishing of skin microbiome technology in a global scientific journal creates an opportunity for the R&D status of K-beauty to be promulgated," said COSMAX CEO Lee Byung-man. "It will take center stage in the global health and beauty market by using innovative materials to develop products that don't yet exist in the world."

In 2019, COSMAX launched the world's first anti-aging cosmetics that utilize Strain-COXMAX, a culture medium with beneficial skin bacteria. By securing more than 20 beneficial microorganisms, the company has become a leader in the skin microbiome market.

https://img.hankyung.com/pdsdata/pr.hankyung.com/uploads/2021/04/20210413COSMAX.jpg 
<Image : Strain-COSMAX taken at x100000 magnification by SEM (scanning electronic microscope)>

<Microbiome>

Microbiome, which is a portmanteau of "microbe" and "biome," describes the microorganisms that inhabit the human body, as well as their genomes. The microbiome is so vast that it makes up 1 to 3 percent of the body's mass, and it has over 100 times more genes than our own genome. Called the "second genome," the microbiome could be seen as an ecosystem that holds a great deal of information about the body.

As it regulates immune functions and forms various kinds of metabolites, the microbiome is known to influence obesity, diabetes, atopic dermatitis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Thus, research on the exact role of the microbiome in disease and aging has greatly increased, and related markets have been experiencing rapid growth.

<Genome & Company>

Since its establishment in 2015, Genome & Company has become a global leader in microbiome immuno-oncology. It focuses on developing the next waves of innovative therapeutics in immune-oncology through diverse modalities of microbiome and novel target immune checkpoint inhibitors.

SOURCE Hankyung.com