Cosmax develops texture perception mechanism for personalized cosmetics use

Cosmax, a Korean cosmetics manufacturer, said on Tuesday it developed a texture perception mechanism that can predict the usability of cosmetics without the need for applying it directly to the skin.

A joint study led by Professor Park Jun-dong of Sookmyung Women's University investigated the relationship between cosmetic spreadability and rheological properties like viscosity and elasticity using machine learning.

Currently, subjective judgments are used to evaluate the suitability of cosmetics for an individual. However, the degree of moisture that a product can provide varies according to the individual even if the same product is used.

The texture perception mechanism developed by Cosmax expresses the usability of cosmetics in a specific and quantified value. Accordingly, it is possible to measure the level of texture without human intervention which helps accelerate product development and quality verification. By precisely adjusting the usability as desired, it can be widely applied to the development of customized cosmetics, said a company official.

Cosmax said it established the spreadability essence formulation as an objective figure after three years of research. 

This involved a panel of trained experts who segmented hundreds of essence formulation prescriptions into tactile properties to establish evaluation criteria. Subsequently, objective quantification by texture characteristics was conducted.

The research team developed the texture perception mechanism by applying large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) technology in the study as a rheological technique to mimic the oscillatory flows of large amplitudes generated when applying cosmetics. Thereafter, machine learning was employed to quickly and efficiently produce texture data for the commercialization of this technology.

“This study provides an objective measurement for cosmetics use which can be utilized in the industry," Cosmax CEO Lee Byung-man said. "We will expand the scope to various formulations and sensory characteristics in the future to provide customized cosmetics."