Blue gold? Amorepacific debuts new hyaluronic acid ingredient in Laneige Waterbank range

The firm’s Laneige Beauty and Life Lab recently held an online symposium to introduce blue hyaluronic acid and explore how the changing external environments and lifestyles can affect the health of the skin barrier.

Blue hyaluronic acid is a moisturising skin care ingredient developed by Amorepacific over a period of 38 years since it developed fermented hyaluronic acid in 1984.

According to Amorepacific R&D Centre senior researcher Anna Park, blue hyaluronic acid is 2,000 times smaller than conventional hyaluronic acid.

Amorepacific billed the introduction of blue hyaluronic acid as a ‘new era’ for hyaluronic acid. The ingredient was created through secondary fermentation as well as a 10-step concentration and purification process.

New ingredient gets Laneige launch

Blue hyaluronic acid ingredient made its debut in February as the hero ingredient in Laneige’s Waterbank collection.

Laneige is one of Amorepacific’s top brands in its premium portfolio and accounts for roughly 17% of its domestic revenue. The brand is best known for several bestselling products including its Water Sleeping Mask

The launch comes at a time where skin moisturising and barrier repair solutions are sorely needed, given the changing environment and lifestyles of people following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Skin stress and blue light from digital devices has a negative effect on the skin barrier. If this lifestyle continues, on dry skin it will result in 'skin burn-out”​ said Im Lim Hwa, senior researcher, Amorepacific Shanghai R&I Centre.

The symposium also highlighted the research of Professor Jean Krutmann of the Leibniz-Institute of Environmental Medicine (IUF), which explored the role of exosomes and exposome and how they are being influenced by changing environments and result in skin ageing.

The company said the Laneige Beauty and Life Lab intends to continue its research into how modern lifestyles can affect skin condition and develop products to solve these issues.

This is the third global symposium held by the research institute. It previously held conferences to share its findings on retinol and ageing as well as the link between sleep and the skin microbiome.