Liman Korea, which develops the functional cosmetic brand Incellderm, recently completed the world's first centella smart farm in Haengwon-ri, Gujwa-eup, Jeju City, covering an area of 4,500 pyeong. Among domestic cosmetic companies, Liman Korea is the only one operating a smart farm to secure raw materials. The health functional food ODM (original design manufacturer) company Kolmar BNH is also engaged in the smart farm business.
According to related industries on the 21st, centella, also known as 'tiger grass,' is a perennial herb of the carrot family. Its main components are asiaticoside and madecassoside. These components exhibit various effects, including improvement of skin wounds, edema, chronic ulcers, cardiovascular diseases, gastric mucosal damage, anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidant effects.
In Korea, the main ingredient in the representative wound treatment ointment Madecassol is precisely this centella. Generally, products labeled with the term 'CICA' in cosmetics use centella. Centella is typically grown in open fields in a natural state. It must maintain a temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius, making it impossible to cultivate throughout the year in Korea.
Liman Korea uses centella raw materials and Jeju lava seawater in all of Incellderm's products. To enhance its competitiveness with unique raw materials, it developed a new variety called 'giant centella' in 2019, which is more effective than common centella. It also secured the right to exclusively use the giant centella variety for 20 years until July 5, 2042, through the Forest Service's variety protection registration.
Giant centella grows with leaves and stems that are approximately 2 to 4 times larger than those of common centella and has superior active ingredient content and skin physiological activity. The total polyphenol content is about 81% higher, and the total flavonoid content is 40% higher than that of common centella.
Liman Korea constructed the smart farm to ensure a stable supply of giant centella unaffected by seasons or external factors. This is to prevent the variation in cosmetic performance based on centella quality. The smart farm was built using technology from the Netherlands, a smart farm powerhouse, with an investment of 10 billion won for construction alone. Temperature maintenance and light-blocking technology are applied inside the smart farm.
In line with the popularity of K-beauty, Liman Korea is accelerating its overseas expansion. Currently, it has entered markets in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, with overseas sales amounting to 200 billion won last year. In April of this year, it plans to open offices in Singapore, Mexico, and Malaysia, followed by Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines in the second half of the year. It will also actively target the Hong Kong market. Although Incellderm's flagship products are basics, color products such as lip tints are also set to launch next month. The overseas sales target for Incellderm this year is in the range of 300 billion won.
A Liman Korea official noted, 'Incellderm products have a very high content of centella extract, and since the raw material is a plant, the quality of the finished product can vary slightly depending on the harvest date if it is not from a smart farm.' They continued, 'We built a smart farm to ensure uniform quality,' adding, 'We will target the global market with cosmetics made from domestically sourced ingredients grown in Jeju.'