Discarded 'Doraji Flower, Leaf, and Stem' Become Key Exporters in Cosmetics

Strengthening Competitiveness for K-Beauty's Global Market Entry

Namwon City Bioindustry Research Institute (Chairman Choi Kyung-sik, hereinafter referred to as 'Industry Research Institute') announced on the 19th that the extract of organic Doraji (Platycodon grandiflorus) is receiving positive responses not only in the domestic market but also in overseas markets such as Japan.

According to Namwon City, since 2020, the Industry Research Institute has researched and developed the fact that saponins, the active ingredient of Doraji, are abundantly contained not only in the roots but also in the flowers, leaves, and stems.

The extracts of Doraji flowers, leaves, roots, and stems have been registered in the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary (ICID), allowing companies to utilize Doraji as a cosmetic raw material.

Namwon City Bioindustry Research Institute Functional Research Laboratory.
Photo by Namwon City

In particular, through technical support connecting Rubama Bio Lab, an organic cosmetic raw material company located in the Namwon Cosmetic Biz Center, with Doraji cultivation farms, organic Doraji cosmetic raw materials cultivated in Namwon were launched.

Accordingly, organic Doraji farmers in Daesan-myeon, Namwon City, have been able to utilize the previously discarded flower, leaf, and stem parts, securing additional income.

The organic Doraji cosmetic raw materials produced by Rubama Bio Lab have been applied to the anti-aging essence of the organic cosmetic brand Sioris (Sioris, Zencosmetic Co., Ltd.) and have been on the market since 2022.

Besides Doraji, the Industry Research Institute develops various organic cosmetic raw materials such as chamomile, rice bran, and wild rose flowers, responding to the continuously growing domestic and international organic and eco-friendly cosmetic markets.

They are steadily developing raw materials that upcycle locally discarded plant resources into cosmetic ingredients and create additional income for farmers.

A representative of Namwon City Bioindustry Research Institute stated, "We plan to actively provide technical support to companies for the commercial use of Namwon and Jirisan area resource plants researched so far," adding, "We will put more effort into strengthening the competitiveness of Namwon cosmetic companies in entering the global market by securing differentiated functional raw materials."