Kolmar Korea's new formulation cuts cosmetics production time in half

By Ko Dong-hwan

Cosmetics original development manufacturer (ODM) Kolmar Korea is receiving positive feedback from its clients for a new product formulation system that reduces the time required to bring new products to market by nearly half.

The company also announced it will expand its overseas production capacity to meet rising global demand for K-beauty products manufactured by its client firms.

According to Kolmar Korea on Friday, it recently launched the new Packaged Product Service (PPS), which offers a variety of predeveloped formulations and packaging options. This allows client firms to simply choose their desired option and have it immediately produced.

Since beginning tests in January 2024, Kolmar Korea has stored formulations and packaging inventories for over 150 beauty products across several categories, including sun care, creams, lotions, essences, toners, mask packs, cleansers, cushions and base makeup.

PPS has also completed compatibility tests for these 150 products with the containers they will be packaged in, ensuring the safety of the products, the company said.

These pre-manufacturing processes enable the company to create samples, negotiate with client firms, and finalize ODM deals much faster than before. According to the company, PPS reduces the entire timeline for a new product — from design to market release — to three to six months, down from the previous nine to 12 months.

Alongside PPS, Kolmar Korea plans to complete its second manufacturing plant in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, and begin operations within the first half of this year. The expansion will increase the company’s production capacity in the U.S. from 180 million products per year to 300 million.

At the new plant, the company will focus on producing globally popular Korean products such as sunscreen, along with other over-the-counter products.

Kolmar Korea expanded its first manufacturing plant in Sejong in December, increasing its domestic production capacity from 450 million products per year to 890 million.

The expansion has increased the company’s total production capacity worldwide by 38 percent, to over 2.04 billion products per year.

“With K-beauty’s market growth worldwide, demands for our client firms and their needs for ODM are also increasing,” a Kolmar Korea official said. “It is our mission to support our client firms at the forefront of the global beauty market.”